- The Government of Liberia, through the Governance Commission (GC), has launched the National Integrity Index (NII), a groundbreaking initiative to assess and improve governance in the country.
The NII, according to the GC, is a governance health check that evaluates institutions on transparency, accountability, ethical compliance, citizen engagement, and institutional capacity.
In a comprehensive overview of the NII, GC Oversight Commissioner for National Integrity System Matthew B. Kollie outlined the index's key features:
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Annual Assessments: Institutions will be scored on a 0-100 scale, with classifications ranging from high integrity to low integrity.
Review and Validation: Civil society organizations will validate findings, ensuring credibility and accountability.
Public Reporting: Results will be published annually and made accessible to citizens and stakeholders.
Commissioner Kollie emphasized that the NII aims to promote good governance, strengthen institutions, and ensure sustainable development. He noted that governance is the "invisible scaffolding" that holds development together and described the NII as a crucial step toward building integrity systems that will drive lasting prosperity.
Director General of the Cabinet Nathaniel T. Kwabo, who officially launched the NII, expressed enthusiasm about the initiative -- not merely because of the launch itself, but because of what it represents for the Governance Commission's role in Liberia. He described the Commission as the government's think tank, noting that it has long driven the country's reform agenda.
"It is high time that we begin to set in motion the necessary reforms to ensure that we deal with the consequences of the war and set this country on the path of reform and development," Kwabo said.
He warned that unaddressed pressures on land, housing, electricity, and water have compounded over time, and stressed the urgency of confronting these challenges before they escalate further.
Kwabo drew a direct parallel between the NII and the Cabinet Office's own performance management compliance system, noting that many of the index's indicators align with how the Cabinet holds institutions accountable. "Institutions should be transparent in the way they conduct business, and they should be able to provide the services they are mandated to provide," he said.
He closed with a pointed call to action, expressing hope that the index would go beyond mere box-checking.
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"I hope this index will not be one of the things that will be checking our boxes but will actually pursue the index in a way that the outcome will be palpable in the way government institutions run in this country, in the way people feel the impact of service delivery in this country."
