-As government seeks more power for counties
The Government of Liberia is convening a two-day national policy dialogue on local governance and decentralization as it seeks to give counties greater political, administrative and financial authority.
The National Policy Dialogue on Local Government and Decentralization is scheduled for September 16-17 at the Ministry of Internal Affairs in Monrovia.
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Deputy Minister for Local Government and Decentralization Edward K. Mulbah announced the dialogue Tuesday during the Ministry of Information's regular press briefing.
Mulbah said the gathering will bring together senior government officials, county superintendents, city mayors, development partners, civil society organizations and other stakeholders to assess progress on decentralization and identify obstacles slowing its implementation.
"Decentralization is important to addressing Liberia's highly centralized system of governance and increasing citizens' participation in their communities," Mulbah said.
Liberia has historically operated a highly centralized governance system, with significant political, administrative and financial decision-making concentrated in Monrovia and local authorities exercising limited control over resources.
Successive governments have pledged to decentralize governance and transfer greater authority to counties and local administrations, but implementation has remained slow.
Mulbah said the Boakai administration's decentralization agenda is focused on three areas: political, administrative and fiscal decentralization.
Under the initiative, the government seeks to strengthen the capacity of county councils, improve local delivery of public services and provide local authorities with greater access to financial resources to carry out their responsibilities.
"The ultimate goal is to ensure that citizens across Liberia have greater access to government services and a stronger voice in decisions affecting their communities," Mulbah said.
The dialogue forms part of the government's ARREST Agenda for Inclusive Development, under which decentralization is being pursued as a means of strengthening local governance and promoting more equitable development.
Development partners and civil society organizations are expected to contribute recommendations on financing, legal reforms and accountability mechanisms needed to strengthen local governance.
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The government is also seeking to improve coordination among institutions responsible for implementing and overseeing local governance programs.
Mulbah said authorities are working toward a more coordinated framework to advance the decentralization process.
According to him, recommendations emerging from the two-day dialogue are expected to help shape future policy decisions and inform preparations for the 2027 national budget.
The government says deeper decentralization is intended to transfer greater decision-making authority to local administrations and bring public services closer to citizens across Liberia's 15 counties.
