By Bill W. Cooper
The Ministry of Gender, Children, and Social Protection (MGCSP), in collaboration with partners, have successfully ended a five-day Gender Responsive Participatory Budgeting (GRPB) intensive training for government’s spending entities in Monrovia.
The event, held from November 18 to 22, 2024, and funded by the World Bank (WB), was designed to equip public officials with the tools and knowledge to promote gender equity in resource planning and allocation.
The training, which brought together staff from Gender and Social Inclusion Units (GSIUs) and various divisions within government spending entities also strengthened efforts to mainstream gender considerations into government programs, policies, and plans, ensuring that public budgets address the needs of all genders fairly.
The initiative is being implemented under Component 4 of the Liberia Women Empowerment Project (LWEP), as it also seeks to enhance the capacity of participants in gender-based analysis (GBA) and the equitable evaluation of resources, including financial investments, time, and labor.
The LWEP is a US$44.6 million WB Funded project aimed at empowering women and girls and advancing gender equality across 6 counties, which include Bomi, Cape Mount, Gbarpolu, Grand Gedeh Montserrado, and Rivercess County.
The five-day workshop however targeted all 108 spending entities, with a cash entity represented by a cross-section of key personnel, and a robust team from the Ministries of Finance, Gender, Health and Agriculture, among others agencies.
Throughout the workshop, participants engaged in hands-on activities designed to build their capacity for effective advocacy and participation in the budgeting process across their various Ministries and Agencies.
They further learned how to analyze budget documents, identify gender disparities, and develop strategies for advocating for gender-responsive policies at both local and national levels as well as the setting-up of a gender office at their respective offices.
Speaking to a team of reporters at the climaxed of the workshop, several of the participants thanked the government, through the Gender Ministry and World Bank for the hosting of the workshop which they described as a “new dawn for gender equality in Liberia.”
The Ministry of Justice-GSIU Assistant Director, Pewee J. Laward expressed his enthusiasm for the skills he acquired during the workshop, pledging to institute said knowledge within the Ministry of Justice.
“I have learned so much about how to analyze budgets and advocate for the needs of women in the MoJ. This knowledge will empower me to work with my bosses, ensuring that our women voices are heard.”
The Ministry of Finance GRPB-NCU Coordinator, Kpanah L. Mason narrated that the five days interactive workshop thought them about the importance of collaboration between government entities when it comes to responsive budgeting.
She added that they were also encouraged to form partnerships that would facilitate ongoing dialogue and cooperation in the budgeting process, which is seen as essential for creating a more inclusive and responsive governance framework in Liberia.
The Ministry of Gender Women Empowerment Division Assistant Director, Stephen G. Yokah disclosed the government’s commitment to inclusive governance, especially as it relates to gender equality across public speeding entities.
“This workshop marks a new dawn for gender equality in Liberia. We from the Ministry of Gender recognize that women and marginalized groups have historically been excluded from the budgeting process, and it is time to change that narrative. That is the reason of the holding of this workshop because our goal is to ensure that every voice is heard and that our national budget reflects the needs and aspirations of all Liberians,” he added.
Meanwhile, the five-day workshop featured a series of presentations and discussions led by experts in participatory budgeting and gender equality, thereby concluding the workshop with a commitment from participants to advocate for gender-responsive budgeting in their respective offices.
