Internal Affairs Minister Morris Dukuly, has paid a courtesy call on the Management of The NewDawn Newspaper, calling for partnership with the local media. Minister Dukuly, who paid a brief visit at the offices of this paper Tuesday, emphasized the critical role of the media in national development.

Mr. Dukuly, a professional journalist himself, added that the media provides the channel for government policies and programs to reach to the people, particularly rural residents.

He urged the media here to give attention to the 15 political sub-divisions of the country, noting that there are lots of developments ongoing within those counties which are not being highlighted by the media. He said County Development Funds and Social Development Funds introduced by President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf have broadened the developmental agenda of every county.

"There are lots of developments ongoing in those counties and I realized that the media is not giving much attention. I'm very much impressed with progress made so far," he asserted.

According to him, one main objectives of his ministry is to enforce government's decentralization policy, stressing that to achieve such goal, the media is needed to promote the happenings and create awareness of the new developments in recent times.

Dukuly, also an ex-Minister of State for Presidential Affairs from Madam Sirleaf's first mentioned the national identification card and a road map for the country as two key programs the media is urgently needed to create public awareness on.

In response, Mr. Othello B. Garblah, Managing Editor of The NewDawn-Liberia, expressed thanks and appreciation to Minister Dukuly for the visit, which he noted was the first time since he took office at the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

Mr. Garblah observed that this was the first time ever for a government minister to come down to media houses to cultivate partnership. He then dedicated a page in the paper exclusively for developmental stories emanating from the counties.