Monrovia — The Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission (LACC), through its chairperson Cllr. Alexandra K. Zoe, has described corruption as "Liberia's greatest enemy to progress" and called on all Liberians to unite against it.
Cllr. Zoe, speaking over the weekend during a program held in Monrovia in commemoration of International Anti-Corruption Day, December 6, 2024, called on all Liberians, whether at home, abroad, young and old, rich or poor, educated or illiterate, Christians or Muslims, adherents of African traditional religions, Americo-Liberians or natives--to come together and fight corruption.
"We are all victims of a collective national indictment of Liberia's lack of progress in basic social services, including our struggle to supply pipe-borne water to residents of Monrovia despite 177 years of independence," Cllr. Zoe said.
In her Anti-Corruption Day message, Cllr. Zoe highlighted ongoing challenges such as the lack of stable electricity to support economic activities and industrial development, the majority of Liberians living on less than $1 a day, and the slow progress in constructing primary roads to connect county capitals.
She further used the occasion to call on the international community and Liberia's development partners to prioritize the importance of measuring the impact of development programs by evaluating the outcomes they achieve using the M&E frameworks ensuring accountability in all sectors of the Liberian community.
According to her, it is now time to place more emphasis on monitoring and evaluation, demand value for money in development interventions, and instill standardized practices to measure development projects by the changes they bring about.
Cllr. Zoe further assured the LACC's commitment to working with Liberia's development partners to integrate M&E frameworks into all development projects.
She stressed that such collaborations would enable joint monitoring and evaluation to assess project outcomes, identify strengths and challenges, and learn lessons to inform future planning.
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"This will enhance planning for future projects and improve outcomes," she asserted.
The event, which gathered government officials, students, local and international partners, and civil society representatives, was held under the national theme, "Promoting Integrity and Accountability for Increased Citizens' Participation in the Fight Against Corruption." The international theme was "Uniting with Youth Against Corruption: Shaping Tomorrow's Integrity."
