Superintendents from Liberia’s 15 Counties are meeting in the port city of Buchanan in Grand Bassa County for phase two of Security Sector Reform Leadership Seminar Series.
According to a press release, the seminar brings together the Superintendents who are also Chairpersons of the county Security Council established in each county with a focus of sustaining the gains with the security architecture of Liberia.
County Security Council, a replica of the National Security Council which is headed by the President, is among requirements of the National Security and Intelligent Act of 2011.
During the four-day seminar which is expected to end on 24 May, the participants would have an understanding of key ‘Rule of Law’ principles and ethical leadership skills.
The release says the participants will have understanding of the Liberia peacebuilding architecture, early warning, early response mechanism and the concept of County Peace Committee, among others.
The superintendents will also brainstorm on challenges facing the security sector in their respective counties and suggest recommendations for possible steps aimed at mitigating the challenges.
Further, the press release from the Ministry of Internal Affairs states that the seminar is being conducted by National Security Council Secretariat and the Swedish Folke Bernadotte Academy (FBA) in collaboration with the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, the Minister of Internal Affairs Mr. Varney A. Sirleaf challenged County Superintendents to take charge of County security.
According to him, security is everyone’s business and a priority of Government.
Minister Sirleaf says he requires a high degree of leadership from County Superintendents in collaboration with security institutions and citizens of communities and counties.
The Internal Affairs Minister encourages the participants to pay attention to the details of the presentations during training, noting that Superintendents must be proactive and network with all security agencies operating in their counties.
Speaking earlier, Elisabeth Hårleman, Head of Development Cooperation at the Swedish Embassy near Monrovia says the training exercise is part of technical support from Sweden to Liberia’s Security Sector Reform (SSR)She says Folke Bernadotte Academy is one of two development programs being run in Liberia as part of bilateral cooperation with Liberia.
The FBA is the Swedish government agency dedicated to improving the quality and effectiveness of international conflict and crisis managements, with a particular focus on peace operations.
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For his part, the National Security Advisor Mr. Jefferson Karmoh says the training exercise is necessary to strengthen a deeper understanding of the County Superintendents on the SSR.–Press release
