By Bill W. Cooper
BudgIT Foundation and partners, yesterday, launched phase-two of its COVID-19 Transparency and Accountability Project (CTAP) in Monrovia as means to improve transparency and accountability in public health.
The launching of the landmark project followed a one-day coalition meeting with several CSOs and Media institutions aimed at promoting health sector transparency and vaccine Equity through stakeholders’ engagement.
Furthermore, the day-long interactive engagement brought face-to-face representatives from various CSO including journalists from various media institutions, the president of Female Journalist Association of Liberia (FeJAL), Siatta S. Johnson and Musu Moore of the John F. Kennedy Hospital among others.
BudgIT Foundation is a civic-tech firm raising standards of transparency, citizen engagement and accountability in public finance.
The CTAP is a collaboration of BudgIT, Connected Development (CODE), Global Integrity, as well as partners in 8 African countries from Cameroon, Ghana, Kenya, Liberia, Malawi, Nigeria, Senegal and Sierra Leone.
Speaking at the launch of the CTAP project, BudgIT Country Lead, Abraham Varney, pointed out that African Governments with Liberia being of no exception response to the COVID-19 pandemic has been characterized by instances of mismanagement, waste and blatant corruption since the outbreak of the virus.
He named the issues of unlawful procurement, political use of monetary and other reliefs, and the diversion of funds, something he said has led many communities to deal with the hardship of the pandemic in economic and social isolation.
According to him, it was against said backdrop that the CTAP was commissioned as a civil society-led effort involving BudgIT Foundation, Connected Development (CODE) and other partners to bolster citizen engagement and promote change in the ways that governments use public resources and increase the capacity of governments to meet people’s needs.
Mr. Varney indicated that CTAP involving BudgIT, Connected Development (CODE) and partners is also concerned with advocating for accountability, open governance, strengthening civic awareness and ensuring government’s use of COVID-19 intervention funds transparently.
He added, “Having also carried out initial research and engagement, these partners, during phase two of the project will also work with diverse stakeholders including government and communities to institute mechanisms for health sector accountability, foster effective and equitable COVID-19 vaccine distribution and mount effective advocacies that mainstream health sector’s best practices.”
Lecturing on the topic, “the role of the media in promoting health sector transparency,” FeJAL president Johnson pointed out that the media plays a pivotal role in ensuring that public officials are accountable to their various constituents or citizens.
However, she stressed that it can only be done based on government officials’ willingness to feed the media with the necessary information, something she stated that will help bring some level of transparency to the governance of the country.
She added, “So, it is incumbent upon all actors including the Liberian government, CSO working groups and population to also help tip journalists with the news because the media can only be watchdogs for society if the populace assist them with needed and rightful information so as to bring the ills in governance to light.”
Madam Moore stressed the importance of the AstraZeneca vaccine, the J&J and Pfizer vaccines which she emphasized will help governments in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.
She however further warned against the dissemination of fake news about the three vaccines, while at the same time urged Liberians to take advantage of the process and ensure that they are protected as well as their respective families.
