Konneh Addresses Forum in U.S.

Planning and Economic Affairs Minister Amara Konneh is in the United States to address a program for development professionals on Rebuilding Financial Management in Post-conflict Environments in which he will highlight Liberia’s Governance and Economic Management Assistance Program (GEMAP).

According to a dispatch from Washington DC, Minister Konneh will serve as the Guest Speaker at this international forum organized by the Society for International Development in Washington, D.C. at the headquarters of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) on Thursday, April 7, 2011.

The Africa Workgroup which has hosted numerous events on various topics related to international development in Africa comprises more than 200 members and is co‐chaired by Chris Hennemeyer and Jocelyn Rowe.

The theme of Minister Konneh’s speech will focus on Liberia’s post-conflict macroeconomic policies and prudent public financial reforms under President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf’s  leadership that enable the country  to rebuild its financial management sufficiently to qualify for debt relief under the IMF/WB Highly Indebted Poor Countries program.

The Minister will highlight among other things how Liberia was able to move from unranked in 2006 to 159th in 2009 and 149th in 2010 on the World Bank Group index of ease of doing business in 183 countries; and improve dramatically in Transparency International’s ranking of the corruption perceptions index, going from un-measurable in 2006, to 138th out of 180 countries in 2008, to 97th out of 180 in 2010.

Minister Konneh’s speech will also attempt to address the following questions: How did it happen? What worked and what did not. Where does the country go from here? Is it replicable? And where would a similar model be appropriate?

The Society for International Development, Washington, D.C. Chapter (SID‐Washington) is the premier professional association for individuals and institutions interested in international development. The mission of SID‐Washington is to advance equitable development by bringing diverse constituencies together to debate critical ideas, policies, and practices.

In a related development, the Liberian development Minister Konneh will join the Liberian delegation to the World Bank/IMF spring meetings next week in Washington, DC., where they will be engaging Bank and Fund officials on Liberia’s post-HIPC development strategy focused on investing in infrastructure particularly roads, energy, ports and developing human capital.

The delegation will update Liberia’s multilateral partners on the progress that have been made on the PRS and the crafting of Liberia RISING 2030, a long term vision to make Liberia a middle income country by 2030.