Liberia risks being delisted from the Open Government Partnership (OGP) if the country fails to submit its National Action Plan (NAP) to Washington, D.C., the United States by end of December, says the OGP Secretariat.Open Government Partnership is a multilateral initiative that aims to secure concrete commitments from national and sub-national governments to promote open government, empower citizens, fight corruption, and harness new technologies to strengthen governance.
Speaking Wednesday, October 2, 2019, the Head of the OGP Secretariat in Liberia, Mr. G. Ralph Jimmeh, said six government ministries and agencies have submitted their draft commitments for scrutiny, validation and subsequent capture in the NAP and onward submission to Washington before the December deadline.According to Mr. Jimmeh, the national action plan will be validated at various nationwide consultative forums in line with the Pro-Poor Agenda for Prosperity and Development (PAPD) especially, Pillar Four, which speaks to transparency and accountability.
“Those commitments that would be validated and captured under the NAP must be transparent and be able to affect the people. It is supposed to impact the lives of the people,” he noted.
He disclosed that the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning (MFDP) in its commitments, is expected to provide budget reports, mid-term and all other reports in line with the national cake.
“The Ministry of Finance and Development Planning is supposed to develop a guide website that will inform citizens about how their money will be expended. The Judiciary’s [duty] is commitment to open justice so that one can be any part of the world to track cases. The Liberia Business Registry has embarked on beneficiary ownership so that everyone can know the actual owners of businesses,” he explaind.
The OGP Head of Secretariat, who just returned from a forum in Dubai, revealed that Liberia is one of two African countries that have been supported for the crafting of their NAPs.
Mr. Jimmeh further revealed that the country benefited US$65,000 for the development of its national program, stressing that this fund will be managed by the National Accountability Lab.
“Liberia was selected based on the case that was made on behalf of the country sometimes ago in Atlanta, Georgia by the Secretariat. We actually went to Dubai so that countries can share their experiences,” Jimmeh asserted, among other things.
