MIA certificates County Service Center staff

A weeklong training workshop for staff of the proposed first County Service Center in Buchanan, Grand Bassa County ended in Monrovia over the weekend with the certification of trainees. 

About 60 participants from all 14 government service delivery Ministries, Agencies and Commissions or MACs attended the training exercise, which is in preparation for the opening of Liberia’s first ever County Service Center located outside Monrovia.

Speaking at the formal closing program, the Minister of Internal Affairs, Morris M. Dukuly, challenged the trainees to deliver quality services to the citizenry.

Mr. Dukuly, who also chairs the board of the Liberia Decentralization Support Program, emphasized that the quality of service would encourage citizens to embrace the new system of governance in Liberia.

“The success of the Buchanan Service Center will determine the implementation of other centers around the country. The government and our partners have invested in you to prepare you for the task you are to carry out adequately”, he told the participants.

Minister Dukuly also challenged the newly trained staff to serve as Ambassadors for the decentralization program.

A release from the National Decentralization Implementation Secretariat quotes the Internal Affairs Minister as saying the training of staff for the Grand Bassa County Service Center signifies government’s commitment to moving service delivery closer to the people through its Deconcentration platform, launched in February.

The Government Liberia of, through an European Union Grant contribution, is facilitating the actualization of the County Service Centers in eight counties, initially.

Also speaking at the program, Swedish Ambassador to Liberia, Sofia Strand, expressed confidence that the County Service Centers would serve as a vehicle to develop a coordinated, effective and accountable service delivery process.

Ambassador Strand indicated that effective and responsive service delivery that brings about active participation of citizens and communities is a lesson learnt from developed countries, including Sweden.

For his part, the Country Director of the United Nations Development Program or UNDP, Dr. Kamil Kamaludden, praised the government for the bold step in bringing public services to the people.

He described the training of staff from the various Ministries, Agencies and Commissions as a demonstration of government’s commitment to decentralize.

Dr. Kamaludden expressed UNDP’s unflinching support to the implementation of the National Policy on Decentralization and local Governance, under which the Deconcentration platform operates.

Other partners present at the program included USAID and UN Women.

Speaking on behalf of his colleagues, Grand Bassa County Service Center Coordinator Sagacious Meshach Gardoe, lauded the government for the initiative and called on donor partners to continue support to the process of decentralization. Mr. Gardoe promised to put in practice knowledge and skills acquired.

The Government of Liberia, through a European Union Grant contribution, is facilitating the actualization of the County Service Centers in the initial eight counties under the auspices of the Liberia Decentralization Support Program or LDSP. Press Statement