MONROVIA – The Government of Liberia and the United Nations have launched a joint project to boost community development across Liberia.
The project dubbed the ‘Accelerated Community Development Program (ACDP)’ was launched by President George M. Weah during the observance of the United Nations’ 77th anniversary in Monrovia on Monday.
The launch of the projected, which will be vastly sponsored by the UN, was in response to President Weah’s call for the UN to do more to improve the livelihood of Liberians, especially those in rural and underprivileged communities.
Delivering a special message last year at the ceremony marking the observance of United Nations Day organized by the UN Country Team in Liberia, President Weah said despite the United Nations’ lengthy stay in Liberia and millions spent through aid, he did not see the impact being felt on the rural populations during his county tour at the beginning of the year.
He then called for a new approach in strategies and tactics to enable to UN make more concrete impact.
“Today, I like to call for a new approach, a paradigm shifts in our strategy and tactics to reduced poverty in Liberia. We must move from policy formulation to action. We must move from office to field, we must move from complacency to urgency, which is the urgency of now. I want to challenge you today to make the difference. I want to challenge you today to mobilize your resources and expertise in a manner that will make a meaningful difference in the lives of the poor and underprivileged in Liberia,” the President said back then.
He continued: “Next year, when we appear again at the 2022 UN Day observance program, God’s willing, you should be able to point these things out to us, and to the world so that we may all see the positive impact that you will have made. By that time, even though you may not have won the war against poverty, you may have scored many significant victories in the battle against poverty. And a grateful people will thank you for it.”
One year later, the President appeared on the same podium, this time, with gratitude as he officially launched the program.
“Today, I wish to thank the United Nations for responding to that call. Today, I am here to officially launch the Accelerated Community Development Program – ACDP – which will be implemented as a partnership between the Government of Liberia, the United Nations, the World Bank, and other development partners,” he said.
“This will be a Special Flagship Program under the Office of the President, and will be implemented for the benefit of all Liberians.”
The launch of the project comes as President Weah’s administration sets enter its final year in which he will be seeking re-election. He was quick to point out that the initiative is not politically motivated.
“I know that this initiative is coming a year before the Presidential and General Elections, and that there are some who will say this is a political project to win votes. Let me make it clear. This is not the case.”
He said prior to his request to the UN and partners, work on the program was already in full swing; adding that the feasibility study was done in 2019 by Price Waterhouse Coopers, and in that same year, the government sent a number of high-level officials of Government to Senegal to observe and study a similar program called the PUDC.
Since he made the appeal last year, the President revealed that his government has been putting all the elements in place and mobilizing the financing to ensure the project starts.
He told the gathering that the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) will serve as the Implementing Partner for the program based on its strong experience and knowhow in rapidly implementing similar programs in countries such as Senegal, Togo, Gambia, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
He declared that the ACDP will be operated under the direction of a National Steering Committee, which will be chaired by him, and whose membership will be comprised of various ministries and agencies, civil society organizations, and the international partners.
“This program will be implemented in a manner that is transparent and that has the full ownership and involvement of the respective communities. At the end of the day, I want the ACDP to produce real concrete and tangible improvements in the lives of our Liberian citizens.”
He expressed his commitment to work with the UN and partners to make the ACDP one of the largest investments in community development that the country has ever made. To that effect, the President said he has requested the Minister of Finance and Development Planning to work with the UNDP, World Bank, African Development Bank, IMF, and the rest of the International Community to conclude financing of approximately US$100 million for the first phase of the program, which is to be implemented over the period 2022 to 2025.
He then called on all ministries and agencies to collaborate in the implementation of the program and channel any support necessary.
The government’s long-term aim and intention, the President added, is to transition the program into a permanent national community development mechanism, which will be opened to direct applications from communities for support.
Also speaking, the UN Resident Coordinator, Ambassador Neils Scott said the UN is committed to undertaking more development programs for the people in the counties as well as the grass root level in Monrovia and its environs.
He said: “Mr. President, in this very place on the same day last year you challenged the UN in Liberia. You asked the UN to deliver more, and more widely to support the people of Liberia. Mr. President, we listened to you very carefully and we responded and I am very pleased to note that, as one part of our response, we will be inaugurating a little later today a Presidential Program supported by the United Nations which will accelerate community development in some of the less developed areas of Liberia.”
Ambassador Scott said that the United Nations will increasingly focus its work downstream at the county level, closer to communities supporting government efforts towards development gains for all Liberians.
He expressed hope that County Superintendents and other local leaders as well as other partners will work with UN in implementing the set development goals.
“To support local impact, I am pleased to say the United Nations Country Team is currently finalizing plans for regional programming hubs to reinforce its already considerable implementation across Liberia – and a feasibility study for the first of these hubs in Gbarpolu is within a few days of completion,” he disclosed.
He said the UN office in Liberia is motivated in the undertakings by the new Fiscal Decentralization Bill, passed under the leadership of the President, which should greatly facilitate local development by providing much needed development resources to the counties.
Further, he welcomed with considerable enthusiasm, the multi-year, national and international hybrid financing, programmatic approach adopted by the Government recently with the At-Risk Youth Program.”
The UNDP Country Representative, Stephen Rodriques said UNDP was delighted to lead the implementation of the program. He pledged that the UNDP, with the experience in implementing similar programs from several African countries, will do all to ensure that the project is successfully implemented.
The event, attended by Government officials, members of the diplomatic corps and the UN staff in Liberia was held at the Pan African Plaza- One UN House under the theme, “The Future we want, the UN we need: Reaffirming our collective commitment to national peace and development.”