Liberia: President Boakai to Preside Over Crucial Inter-Ministerial Decentralization Meeting

3 July 2024
The Liberian Investigator (Monrovia)
By Liberian Investigator

Monrovia — President Joseph Nyuma Boakai, Sr. will host an Inter-Ministerial Committee on Decentralization (IMCD) meeting this Thursday, July 4th, at the Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf Ministerial Complex in Oldest Congo Town.

The IMCD, which sets national priorities and provides policy guidance and coordination for decentralization reforms, is the highest authority on this matter. A press release issued by the Ministry of Internal Affairs confirms that President Boakai will preside over the meeting.

The IMCD includes heads of all decentralization sector Ministries, Agencies, and Commissions (MACs) under the President's supervision. Additionally, heads of Embassies and Development partners supporting decentralization and local governance reforms are part of the IMCD.

Minister of Internal Affairs, Honorable Francis Sakila Nyumalin, who chairs the Decentralization Board, will coordinate the activities of all sector agencies and provide periodic updates to the President and the Cabinet. He described the upcoming meeting as a significant moment for the rollout of long-awaited decentralization reforms.

At Thursday's meeting, presentations will be made on progress, challenges, and lessons learned in decentralization, including measures aimed at financing local government, such as the County Service Centers (CSCs).

In 2012, the government launched a National Policy on Decentralization and Local Governance, opening CSCs as a one-stop shop for documentation services related to licenses, permits, and certificates. Despite numerous challenges, including manual processing of services, centralized signing authorities in Monrovia, and limited financial and logistical support, the Ministry reports that over 300,000 people have obtained basic documentation services through CSCs since the first center opened in Grand Bassa County in 2015. Currently, 15 CSCs are operating, one in each county.

The Ministry highlighted several notable achievements in decentralization reform, including the enactment of a Local Government Act in 2018, the Revenue Sharing Law of 2021, amendments and restatements of the Public Financial Management Law of 2019, and the Revenue Code of 2011. These reforms aim to enable fiscal decentralization and establish County Councils in all 15 counties.

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