New Democrat (Monrovia)
A. Abbas Dulleh
28 October 2009
The County Development Fund, aimed at financing target projects in rural areas, has been politicized and needs rescue, President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf says.
Presidential Press Secretary Cyrus Badio, quoting the president, said the fund is not meeting the needs of the targeted groups because it is characterized by "political interference." He said a special Presidential Task Force has made this clear to President.
He said the Task Force cited "ineffective monitoring and incompetence process" as one of the problems.
Mr. Badio said the Task Force, headed by Mr. Samuel P. Jackson, a one-time Charles Taylor Economic Advisor, visited 15 Counties and inspected 122 projects in 64 districts leaving five projects unverified "due to inaccessible road condition."
The team reported, he said, that out of the 122 projects, it inspected, 56 are incomplete or abandoned, naming Grand Cape Mount, Grand Bassa and Gbarpolu Counties as having higher rates of completion and standards than the rest of the counties.
Mr. Badio said the team has therefore presented an eight-count recommendation to the President amongst them to minimize political interference in the award of contracts by redesigning procurement process in the award of development projects.
The team, amongst others, has also recommended that County Development Mandate be revisited to design a method of providing varying amounts to counties based on size and population.
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I am touched first of all by this particular article and it is good that these officials have shown to themselves and well meaning Liberians that the Executive branch of Government needs to take full responsiblity of county funds.It is disheartening to read that Legisslators and other individuals are swindling the Liberian people money for their personal enrichment. It was believed by the citizenry that if funds are given to the people directly in their respective counties, it would trickle down to the target group, but this is far from that thinking.Nimba, for example today has lot of minunderstandings amongst its Legislators over development funds, and some official from Cape mount county also used funds out of its intended purpose; just to name few. Madame President, it is prudent to understand here that any funds misappropriated by any official be it a Legislator, your Govermnet will face history as mismanaging funds belonging to the Liberian people. I am trying to say in in this article, that development funds belonging to the various counties must be handled and managed by the executive body, in collaboration with the local people. I mean all should be on board, but under the supervision ov the Executive body. Enough is enough, and it is about time that Mrs. Sirleaf, you try to think about this and give it a good thought, because they suggested it to you, I mean some Liberians but it is not working. I BEG YOU TO REVERT TO THE STATUS QUO. Government is run by the executive and not by Legislators or some local Government, Liberia is run by constitution, and this is something in the constitution. There is no law that states that counties should be developed by other branch of Governement without the supervision of the Executive. I stand to be corrected.God bless Liberia.
John Mannah, Chicago, Illinois