By Precious D. Freeman
The Ministry of Agriculture (MOA) has officially signed a US$ 14.25 million grants management contract with the Deloitte and Touché based in Ghana.
The contract was signed at the Ministry of Agriculture in Congo Town yesterday with a purpose of enhancing the management of grants.
The National Project Coordinator for STAP-Project, Ansu Abraham Metzger, said the LACF is to manage a special account for the purpose of Margin Grants which is aimed at improving smallholder farmers integrated value change in selected counties and also by providing support to BDSP institutions.
According to him, this whole process started in September 2019 with a special interest which was evaluated and Deloitte was among six other firms that were shortlisted following a request for proposals.
He explained that the request for proposals were received and evaluated at the end of May and then Deloitte again ranked as the top builder and that has propelled the negotiation process to launch a management contract.
The National Coordinator of the Farmers Union Network of Liberia, Julius Momolu Bass, said this is a manifestation that the MOA is working seriously to ensure that the farmers and producers benefits directly.
According to him when it comes to grants management, is very important to production adding, “Agriculture has now begun to turn a new page in this country because we can see clearly its worth in Liberia.”
“The MOA under the leadership of our Minister is leaving no stones unturned and our farmers are benefiting when it comes to farming equipment,” he added.
According to the Country Managing Partner of Deloitte, Daniel Kwadwo Owusu, the organization has been the biggest professional services firm globally and assured that signing a contract with them, does not only mean signing with Ghana but also with West Africa firms and global firms.
He added that the mandate of Deloitte is to make impacts that matters; so the work that they do with the hope of achieving is to make sure that it affects the people that need to benefit noting, “And for me, when I look at my background, working to support farmers, stakeholders, beneficiaries and producers, we take this as an opportunity to advance the cause of the firm.”
MOA Minister, Jeanine Milly Cooper, explained that before she became minister, she had a life involved in advocacy for the Agro-Business sector adding, “The Star-Project has my fingerprints all over it when I was in the private sector.”
According to her, the commercialization of Liberia’s Agriculture sector is very close to her heart because it is something that is long overdue and that she is delighted that Deloitte came in to form partnership.
She added that she wants this to cement the relationship that MOA will have through the Star Project with Deloitte in terms of providing access to finance for their agro businesses and in the agriculture sector, among farmers, cooperative and SME’s who are struggling to get finance.