The Center for Transparency & Accountability in Liberia (CENTAL), says Liberia is lagging behind at almost all levels especially infrastructure, education, health, power developments in Liberia.
CENTAL’s Executive Director, Anderson D. Miamen, made the comment on Friday when he served as guest speaker at the New Matadi Baptist Church 4th cycle commencement convocation for the Career for Life School of Professional Studies (CLSPS).
The speaker indicated that past and current leaders have not been selfless enough to truly transform the lives of majority of the population by making basic social services available and ensuring that there are enough jobs to absorbed the growing number of graduates from Universities, colleges and other leaning institutions.
“This country has great people; it is naturally endowed and has a youthful population, yet, we have not lived up to expectation. Corruption, bad governance, greed, patronage and other vices are visible and continue to keep the country stagnated,” the CENTAL boss expressed.
In what appeared to be a politically sentimental expression, Miamen averred that there is still hope adding, “There is hope for a better future, but we need to make the right decisions, in part, through seeking knowledge and skills to transform our lives and become assets and not liabilities to society.”
“A better future is attainable when we adopt the right attitude and play our parts, individually and collectively. That is when we decide that we are ready for Liberia to be a better and an enviable place to live and enjoy. Of course, everything is not bad in Liberia, but the reality is that our economy should be better than what it is. We should be creating more jobs to absorb the growing number of students who are leaving the walls of many universities, colleges and professional schools such this one,” he said.
Speaking on the topic, ‘The Significance of Professional Education And its Impact on the Liberian Economy, and the lives of Individuals, Especially in the Fields of Monitoring and Evaluation, Procurement, and Project Planning and other Operation Management,’ Miamen asserted that Liberia desperately needs adequate well-trained and motivated individuals in these fields to meaningfully contribute to ongoing and future reform and development efforts.
Besides acknowledging the importance of selecting professional career path, the CENTAL Executive Director also reminded the gathering that local and international laws and frameworks provide for governments to educate their citizens and that Liberia is no exception.
He listed Article 6 of the 1986 Constitution of Liberia, the New Education Reform Act of 2011, the National Policy on Girls’ Education, the Inclusive Education Policy, and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, especially goal #4 on education which recognize the critical roles education plays in the existence and or life of an individual, family, and the country at large.
He said that is why these frameworks are unanimous in their quest for the Liberian government to work with non-state actors such the proprietors of this institution to train and nurture professionals who will be true assets to society and help in varying manners and forms.
Nine students received certificates for completing the requisite courses which include Monitoring & Evaluation, project planning & operation Management, Banking and Finance, procurement management, Accounting for bookkeeping, Entrepreneur& small business management skills, quick book pro(Laptop compulsory) , supply chain & logistic management, marketing & customer service management, human resources management, warehouse & inventory management, among others.
