ECSOMOL complains Youth and Sports Ministry

The ECOWAS Civil Society Movement of Liberia or ECSOMOL has complained the Minister of Youth and Sports SaahN’Tow and his deputy Lance Gonyon to the House of Representatives for allegedly sabotaging ECOWAS programs and projects in Liberia.

According to a communication sent to the House of Representatives on Tuesday, in 2007, ECOWAS parliamentarian visited the 52nd Liberian Legislature and introduced the ECOWAS Youth Empowerment Project to be implemented for Liberian youth through technical and vocational skills training.

The current Speaker of the House, Margibi County Representative Emanuel Nuquay has reportedly been trying to assist by seeking budgetary allotment for the program.  In 2015, the leadership of ECSOMOL sought donors’ support through the World Bank, and subsequently launched the Sustainable Development Goals aspect of the project on January 29, 2016 at the YMCA on Crown Hill, Broad Street in Monrovia.

According to the communication, when the project was taken back to the World Bank, the bank mandated that they come to Liberia and work with the Ministry of Youth and Sports so the project was presented to Minister N’Tow, who forwarded it his Deputy Minister for Youth Development Lance Gonyon.

The document revealed that Deputy Minister Gonyon told the leadership to book an appointment with the World Bank, but the very day the bank consented for the meeting, the both Ministers were in another meeting with the World Bank at the Ministry of Youth and Sports.

It said when the minister returned they informed the leadership there is already a $10 million loan agreement signed between the Ministry and the bank, so ECSOMOL should work with the Ministry, but the authorities there seem unwilling to work with the group. The communication was read and forwarded to the committees on Youth and Sports and Rules for scrutiny and subsequent determination. 

By Bridgett Milton