The Inquirer (Monrovia)
21 August 2007
The official launching Programme of Research on the Contributions of Informal Businesses to Private Sector Development in Liberia has been launched in Monrovia.
The program is being funded by Trust Africa (TA) based in Nairobi, Kenya and implemented by Population Health and Development Center (PHDC) in Liberia.
A case study of the central region of Liberia conducted in Bong and Margibi Counties was done by the Liberia Agency for Community Empowerment (LACE) and PHDC in collaboration with TA.
The goals of the research is to determine the contribution of the Informal Businesses (IBs) to the basic social and economic needs of the Liberian population in health, education, job creation and food security; to elaborate the policy intervention requirerd to increase the contribution of informal businesses to post-conflict reconstruction efforts in Liberia; and to promote the adaptation of these recommendations by the Government of Liberia and its development partners.
These will form the basis in determining the contribution of IBs to post-conflict socio-economic development in the central region of Liberia.
The principal objective of the study is to assess the overall performance of the IBs in order to determine their contribution to private sector-based economic intervention that are aimed at national socio-economic development in Liberia.
Other objectives are to determine the contribution of IBs to the basic socio-economic needs of the population such as health, education, job creation, food security and other socio-economic empowerment activities that are required for the post-conflict economic rejuvenation process, amongst other objectives.
Giving the overview of the research, the Program Director of PHDC Mr. Mustapha K. Wesseh said one of the key focuses of the program is to determine the contribution the private business made in Liberia.
For his part the keynote speaker Associate Professor Geegbae A.Geegbae, Chairman of Economic Department and Acting Dean of Business College at the University of Liberia, spoke on the topic "The Role of the Informal Business Sector in Post War Development."
Prof. Geegbae said the fourteen years of Liberia's civil unrest has destroyed the entire informal sector of the country; adding that the process of transforming the informal sector in Liberia is a driving force for the country's reconstruction process.
Also speaking was the Executive Director of LACE who is representing Trust Africa in Liberia, Mr. Ramses Kumbuyah added that one of the key ways to improve lives is through development.
He said his organization will expect a positive result from its implementing partner as the program climaxes.
Mr. Kumbuyah said the sponsor of the program, Trust Africa would hold LACE and PHDC responsible and accountable because they are the donors of the program
The official lauching program was held at the Well Hairston High School in Monrovia over the weekend.
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