Monrovia — Integrity Watch Liberia's Executive Director, Harold Aidoo, displays a copy of the newly validated Administrative Regulations for County Councils.
In a joint effort to curtail the manipulation and squandering of funds intended for development projects across the country by elected and appointed public officials, Integrity Watch Liberia has partnered with the Government of Liberia through the Ministry of Internal Affairs to develop the Administrative Regulations for County Councils in Liberia. Integrity Watch Liberia is a civil society organization operating in the country.
Chapter Two of the Local Government Act, which was passed by the National Legislature and signed into law by President George Manneh Weah in 2018, defines the powers and authority of the local government and calls for the establishment of a local government structure, including County Councils.
The County Council, which comprises nine individuals from various groups in a county, replaces County Sittings where delegates were handpicked by elected and appointed government officials to hold deliberations and sign resolutions to carry out projects sponsored by County or Social Development Funds. It is a quasi-legislative body that resolves development projects in all counties across Liberia.
Addressing a news conference in Monrovia over the weekend, Integrity Watch Liberia's Executive Director, Harold, disclosed that the Administrative Regulations were validated to guide the process of selecting qualified persons, including representatives of county organizations, especially women, youth, and people with disabilities. He added that the regulations will be used as a guide for the establishment, administration, and governance of the County Councils pursuant to Chapter 2 Sub-Section 2 and 3 and Chapter 9 Section 9 and 4 of the Local Government Act.
He stated that the Administrative Regulations for County Councils, developed by his group with support from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), will provide the administrative framework and guidelines for an "inclusive, transparent process for the election of County Council structures."
"Integrity Watch Liberia is pleased to inform the Liberian people, through the media, of its support to the Ministry of Internal Affairs to develop Administrative Regulations for County Councils across the country. The regulations also establish the rules that will govern the activities of all the operations of the County Councils across the country," emphasized Mr. Aidoo.
He emphasized that the launch of the document will help address the high level of dishonesty in the passage of resolutions to carry out development projects in the counties. "We believe that this is a monumental milestone that sets the framework for a more transparent, inclusive, and accountable Local Government development in Liberia. With these regulations and the establishment of the County Councils, we strongly believe it will address many of the unaccountability challenges that occasioned the county sittings in the implementation of the County Development Fund (CDF) and the County Social Development Fund (CSDF). We are happy that today we are formally launching these County Councils Administrative Regulations that will guide the administration and governance of the County Councils across the country."
Manipulating county sittings: Mr. Aidoo recalled that since the inception of the CDF and CSDF in Liberia, there has been a hullabaloo over the manner and form in which delegates are selected to attend county sittings by elected and appointed public officials.
However, he disclosed that the new Administrative Regulations for County Councils will now help ensure that the CDF and CSDF are used for the purposes intended. These regulations will prevent lawmakers from directly influencing the process for their own benefits or to score political marks.
Curtailing accusations: Mr. Aidoo pointed out that the new regulations will also prevent claims and counter-claims between Senators, Representatives, and the Superintendents of the various counties over the selection of projects funded from the CDF or CSDF.
"Since the CDF and CSDF were instituted by the former President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, there have been several challenges and many accusations pointing to the lawmakers of manipulating the process by sometimes bringing delegates (for the county sittings) in the various counties. There has always been friction between the lawmakers and the county authorities, especially the superintendents."
He stressed that citizens will now be able to decide on the development projects needed in their respective districts and counties at large without being coerced or manipulated by their elected or appointed officials. "When these development projects go to the Superintendents, they will be submitted to the County Councils. The County Councils' structures are going to be the ones deciding on the development priorities for their counties."
Mr. Aidoo emphasized that the County Councils are made up of members from a cross-spectrum of the population in the various counties and as such, they should be guided to independently carry out their assigned tasks and responsibilities in keeping with the Local Government Act. He said the regulations have also put in place mechanisms for ordinary citizens to engage the Councils in terms of promoting and ensuring the actualization of their development priorities. According to him, the document clearly specifies how members of the Councils will be elected in the various counties, noting that "these are not people that will just be handpicked."
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Mr. Aidoo, however, used the occasion to disclose that the drafting of the regulations for the County Councils was finalized following an intense consultative process carried out across the country. He further pledged his organization's commitment to scrupulously monitor the implementation of the new regulations to prevent the manipulation of development projects. He said the group would also popularize the new regulations by printing additional copies and airing radio jingles in various vernaculars to ensure that the document is adhered to and citizens are abreast of the administration and governance of their respective County Councils. Mr. Aidoo pointed out that the process would also guarantee the training of the County Council structures to be able to abide by the new mandates. He further claimed that authorities of the Ministry of Internal Affairs would be held liable if the new regulations are not fully implemented or followed by the County Councils. The validation of the Administrative Regulations for County Councils was done by various stakeholders in Gbarnga, Bong County recently.
