The NEWS (Monrovia)
7 August 2008
Monrovia — President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf has urged Diaspora Liberians to be actively involved in the implementation of Liberia's Poverty Reduction Strategy (PRS).
Speaking at a Diaspora Engagement Stakeholders' Consultative Forum in Monrovia on Friday, August 1, the President explained that it is the responsibility of every Liberian, even those abroad and recently returned, to "Lift Liberia," referring to the country's national slogan for the 3-year medium term.
The Forum was held to strategize about how the Liberian Diaspora can help in promoting in-country development through individual and collective efforts in their various communities abroad. A series of recommendations were made from a cross section of stakeholders, such as encouraging professional Diaspora Liberians who have long extended vacations-such as doctors and professors-to spend short stints in-country volunteering their services and expertise. Another recommendation informally endorsed was the need to facilitate the smooth resettlement of Diaspora Liberians who decide to move back to Liberia.
President Johnson Sirleaf noted that Diaspora Liberians are already having a major impact on poverty eradication programs in the country, through large scale remittance flows and investment capital. The need to trap those remittances and channel them in a coordinated fashion for development projects was emphasized.
The President acknowledged the contributions of recent returnees who are making strides in the reconstruction of the nation. She noted that during her tenure as Finance Minister in the late 1970's, young professional Liberians from the Diaspora teamed up with in-country Liberians to collaborate on development initiatives. She stressed that something similar is taking root, and encouraged more collaboration.
Other panelists added to the discussion by highlighting their interests in the Diaspora debate. Olubanke King-Akerele, Foreign Affairs Minister, talked about the need to strengthen the potential of the Commerce Ministry's Diaspora Desk, her brainchild project.
She also said that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs stands as the most appropriate entity to facilitate Diaspora-Government engagement.
O. Natty B. Davis, national coordinator for the Liberia Reconstruction and Development Committee (LRDC), outlined the Government's capacity challenges and mentioned that the number of Liberian doctors in the United States is tenfold more than the number of doctors in the entire country. Saah N'Tow, an independent Liberian researcher, discussed the need to contextualize the Liberian Diaspora by first defining what the term "Diaspora" actually means.
He recommended that the Liberian Government engage with George Washington University (USA), Oxford University (UK), and independent Liberian researchers like him to come up with a list of Government policy directives based on statistics.
T. Nelson Williams, Deputy Managing Director at the Liberia Petroleum Refining Company (LPRC), gave a power-point presentation on a Liberian Diaspora Professional Directory to be launched in October 2008 which will have, among other features, an active jobs link and a listing of Diaspora Liberian Professionals abroad.
The Liberian Government endorsed Williams' initiative, and asked that an interactive feature be included for dialogue amongst Diaspora Liberians about how they can help formulate and implement Government's development agenda.
Patricia Jabbeh Wesley, a Liberian poet and professor at Penn State University in the U.S.A., called for a strengthening of linkages between Diaspora Liberians and Liberians in-country. She explained that the tensions that exist between the "two Liberians" needed to be reconciled in order for the country to move forward.
The Forum ended with a commitment to hold a Working Session Part II to develop strategic deliverables that will be included in a Diaspora Engagement Strategy for Government.
Be the first to Write a Comment!
Copyright © 2008 The NEWS. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections — or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here.
AllAfrica aggregates and indexes content from over 125 African news organizations, plus more than 200 other sources, who are responsible for their own reporting and views. Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica.
