By Stephen N. Tokpah
Naymote Partners for Democratic Development, in collaboration with CENTAL and the Center for Democratic Governance, has officially launched the “Strengthening Political Government and Accountability in Liberia Project” in Gbarnga, Bong County.
Launching the project on November 14, 2024, the Project Manager of Naymote, Lincoln Morris, said the goal of this initiative is to enhance political accountability, transparency, and democratic governance in Liberia.
Morris said the project will help increase demand for political accountability in the management of the country’s resources and is expected to impact over 10,000 citizens across Liberia.
He emphasized that the project will increase citizens’ voices in local decision-making processes by promoting dialogue between the government and local communities.
According to him, the Naymote Strengthening Political Government and Accountability in Liberia Project will help increase CSO oversight of equitable revenue-sharing between central and local government.
NAYMOTE Partners for Democratic Development’s Executive Director Eddie D. Jarwolo who presented the project, said the project will support anti-corruption institutions and civil society organizations in advocating for the prosecution of corruption cases, conducting anti-corruption dialogues and using digital platforms to document and report corruption incidents.
He said the project will be implemented at the national level, and all field activities will be implemented in three counties: Bong, Grand Bassa, and Margibi.
Jarwolo said the direct beneficiaries of the project are two-fold, and they include ordinary citizens, women and youth groups, people living with disabilities, and sexual minorities.
The strengthening political accountability in Liberia project is implemented by a consortium of three Civil Society Organizations, which include: “The Center for Democratic Governance (CDG), the Center for Transparency and Accountability in Liberia (CENTAL), and NAYMOTE Partners for Democratic Development,” with funding from Irish Aid.
The Civil Society Governance Consortium Strengthening Political Accountability, transparency, and democratic governance in Liberia project duration is from September 1, 2024, to August 31, 2027, with a budget of €1.5 million.
He further emphasized that the project will focus on key sectors: “Democracy, public service delivery, local government, climate governance, and political accountability.”
Performing the official launch of the project in Gbarnga, Bong County, Superintendent Hawa Loleyah Norris, lauded NAYMOTE and its partners for the initiative.
Superintendent Norris said why it is true that the project will strengthen political accountability in Liberia, it will also help citizens understand the workings of the government and its officials.
She urged citizens of the benefiting counties to work with NAYMOTE and its partners in strengthening the fight against corruption in Liberia, something she believes has undermined the development of the Country.
The ceremony was attended by several local authorities, women groups, youth groups, CSO groups, including Cllr. George Saybeh of the Center for Democratic Governance and Torwon Gensee, Project Manager of CENTAL.
Meanwhile representatives of various civil society organizations at the ceremony pledged their various organizations’ commitment to supporting the project.
