Minister Tweah Meets with Representatives of Civil Society Organizations

(L-R) Minister Samuel D. Tweah, Jr., Loretta Alethea Pope Kaithe, of the National Civil Society Council of Liberia; Andersen Miamen of CENTAL; Mmonbeydo Nadine Joah of the Organization for Women and Children; Lawrence Yealue of Accountability Lab Liberia; and Ralph Jimmeh of Integrity Watch.

Monrovia, Liberia - Finance and Development Planning Minister, Hon. Samuel D. Tweah, Jr., on Wednesday, October 27, met with representatives of Civil Society Organizations (CSO) to explore avenues of enhancing and strengthening government-CSO partnership.

Addressing the team of CSO executives, Minister Tweah expressed the need to broaden and improve the partnership between government and civil society through the establishment of a structured framework to facilitate a productive engagement. This engagement, he stressed would ultimately lead to improved outcomes in governance, education, health, and other sectors.

Responding, members of the delegation welcomed the dialogue and called for a review of the existing NGO policy, which, according to them, was narrow in scope and focused exclusively on the activities of NGOs to the exclusion of CSOs. They also called for a revision of some of the provisions and requirements for the establishment and operation of CSOs in Liberia.

Responding, Minister Tweah agreed to collaborate with CSOs and organize a forum for the review of the NGO policy. This review, he said, will pave the way for a larger national forum to carve out a roadmap for civil society engagement.

Present at the meeting were: Loretta Alethea Pope Kai, Chairperson of the National Civil Society Council of Liberia; Lawrence Yealue of Accountability Lab Liberia, Andersen Miamen of the Center for Transparency and Accountability, Mmonbeydo Nadine Joah of the Organization for Women and Children, and Ralph Jimmeh of Integrity Watch.