Reform Coordination Unit holds Working Session on National Capacity Building Implementation Plan

Buchanan, Grand Bassa County - Reform Coordination Unit at the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning holds working session on National Capacity Building Implementation Plan (December 15-17)

The Reform Coordination Unit at the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning has embarked upon several country specific reform initiatives- one of which happens to be the production of a National Capacity Development Manual through the structuring of an implementation plan.

The three-day workshop which begun on 15 December in Buchanan, Grand Bassa County brought together various institutions and Departments together including the Civil Service Agency, Ministry of Education, the University of Liberia, the Liberia Institute of Public Administration, the Liberia Institute of Certified Public Accounting, the Public Procurement and Concession Commission, the Department of the Controller and Accountant General of the Republic of Liberia amongst others.

During his opening remarks, the Coordinator of the RCU, Dr. Plingloh Emmanuel Munyeneh capacity development whether institutional or individual is essential in achieving social and economic goals through knowledge, skills, and systems

He told technicians representing various institutions that capacity building approaches can minimize an over-reliance on outside experts as source of knowledge, resources and solutions to domestic issues. By preventing a dependency relationship on outsiders from forming, capacity building encourages local people to take action on national development issues

Like reform which is ever evolving based on contemporary circumstances, capacity development must be understood as a long-term, complex change process that is strongly dependent on the specific context. Capacity development measures should therefore always take all three levels–individual, organizational and enabling environment–as well as their interdependencies into account. Ultimately, capacity development does not only refer to the acquisition of new knowledge and skills but above all also to changing values and behavioral patterns in the community or workplace.
Capacity development is a crucial determinant of all development measures and thus an essential element of a holistic programmer approach. Capacity development is an endogenous change process that must be initiated and owned by the actors in partner countries themselves (individuals, organizations and society as a whole) “We cannot continue to rely on donors and other external actors to take control of what is considered as a “national initiative”, the Coordinator noted
The three-day workshop, will result in the development of a National Capacity Building & Implementation Manual and a Plan. The Capacity Building Plan will be used to guide the government of Liberia in the development of strategic training and capacity development programs and will be in sync with the country’s national development program, the Pro-Poor Agenda for Prosperity and Development (PAPD).