Gompa, Nimba — On a mild Friday afternoon, Caroline Quepolu, had to temporally halt her business -palm oil, and vegetables- to join others at the community meeting hall in Tonglaywin Community, Gompa, Nimba County for a knowledge sharing session on the Local Government Act (LGA), Revenue Sharing Law, Freedom of Information Law and others.
The session, organized by the Center for Transparency and Accountability in Liberia (CENTAL) and the Women NGO Secretariat of Liberia (WONGOSOL), is part of efforts to increase knowledge around the LGA and other laws and encourage citizens to participate and demand accountability and benefits from their local government. The session was made possible through the Enhancing Citizens Participation in Local governance (ECPILG) project funded by UN Women with support from the Peacebuilding Fund.
Caroline's presence at the forum was fueled by her desire to seek redress in a longstanding land conflict with a Town Chief over a disputed parcel of land. "I didn't know I could find the Land Authority people right in Sanniquellie to explain my situation", said Caroline. Nearly seven years since the passage of the Local Government Act (LGA) into law by the National Legislature, full implementation of its key provisions remains stubbornly elusive.
Keep up with the latest headlines on WhatsApp | LinkedIn
Citizens continue to have limited knowledge about the new local government structure introduced in the counties, as well as County Service Centers in the various counties offering public services to ease the burden associated with obtaining such services from public offices based in Monrovia. With limited awareness of the powers conferred upon them under the Local Government Act, citizens are likely to remain passive recipients of decisions made by political appointees, rather than active participants with the agency to influence local governance and act in their own interests.
The Liberian constitution guarantees citizens' right to participation. And laws like the Freedom of information (FOI) Act of 2010, the Code of Conduct of 2022 (CoC), New Anti-Corruption Commission Act of 2022, Whistle Blower Law of 2022, Witness Protection Law of 2022, Local Governance Act of 2018, and the restated Public Financial Management Law of Liberia (PFML) provide pathways for citizens to hold leaders accountable.
However, the lack of adequate awareness of the existence of these laws and other development catalysts has been a major gap to be bridged. "Now, we are aware of a County Social Development Fund. We will go to the County Council and County Development Officer to advocate for them to put money aside to fix our community road", said Clinton B. Gowah, an instructor at the Tubman Wilson Institute in Zwedru City, Grand Gedeh County. Before the forum held in his Blue Camp Community, in Zwedru, Clinton knew little about funds allocated in the national budget to finance development projects in the county. Also, roads leading to the community are riddled by potholes which make it almost impassable, especially during the rainy season.
As a result, Clinton and his fellow community members would embark on a self-help initiative by rallying manpower and resources for the maintenance of their community road. "The meeting {forum} has opened our eyes to know how right and how to engage our leaders", said Martha Suah, a resident of New Georgia Community in Zwedru.
Also, residents of the Airfield Community, including teachers and administrators of the Child Friendly School were encouraged to stand up and engage their leaders, including members of the County Council, about the development needs of their different communities. Fais Paypay, Coordinator, Bong County Service Center, named the increase in manpower from one to three staff at the Liberia Revenue Authority (LRA) sub-office for increased revenue generation as one of several results so far from the different citizens' engagements and advocacy efforts.
Through the different forums, citizens are being supported by enhancing spaces for their participation in governance through the deepening of decentralization, bringing them closer to policymakers and service-providers and increasing public demand for accountability and transparency to address the major persistent community grievances and sources of mistrust. As a result, implementation of the LGA is being supported including affirmative action for women and youth therein - and the Revenue Sharing Act, among other laws and policies related to accountability and participation, and those which address sources of tension and enhance peace dividends.
Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters
Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox
Similar forums were held in Gbarpolu, Bomi, Bong, Nimba and Grand Gedeh counties to enhance transparency and accountability and promote equal participation in local governance in Liberia. The activities support broader decentralization efforts of the government of Liberia being implemented by Ministry of Local Government. Feedback are expected to be gathered from the different activities tom inform next steps including a follow-up forum and continuous engagement with the county council and other local officials.
