Minister Dukuly challenges trainees

The Minister of Internal Affairs or MIA Morris Dukuly has congratulated the first batch of staff of the proposed County Service Center from Buchanan, Grand Bassa County following five days training workshop in Monrovia.

Minister Dukuly also seriously challenged the staff to go out and demonstrate what they have learned from the training.

“You will have what you need in abundance, but Buchanan also has its own challenges too, so don’t be under any illusion when you take up this assignment; those of you who are [from] agencies that have not been on assignment there,” he cautioned the staff.

Speaking at the close of the workshop held in a local hotel in Monrovia over the weekend, the Internal Affairs boss also reminded that trainees are the windows of the government, stressing that the county service center should make a difference and the difference should be the efficiency and timeliness of service they deliver.

“if somebody comes to get a certificate, then you say go come to tomorrow and when they come tomorrow, then you say oh, our machine breaks down; we will make sure we do what we need to do that generators don’t break down, but you sitting there doing your nails or in another conversation; those who know me, know I don’t sit here; I will be moving around; if I went to a service center and saw someone; you come from which agency, we will deal with the situation.”

A weeklong training workshop for staff of the proposed first County Service Center in Buchanan, Grand Bassa County got underway here on Monday June 1, 2015 at the Corina Hotel on 24th Street, Sinkor.

Over 60 participants from all 14 service delivery Ministries, Agencies and Commissions or MACs of government attended.

The capacity building exercise is in preparation for the opening of Liberia’s first ever County Service Center outside Monrovia.

The workshop came against the backdrop of Government’s ongoing Deconcentration Platform launched in February, 2015 that seeks to deliver services to citizens and residents in their counties of residence instead of coming to Monrovia to access those services, as has always been the case.

The training exercise will provide a platform for personnel of the MACs to review existing working practices with the aim of identifying priorities, weaknesses and strengths, especially so that they will now work from a central point.

Some institutions concerned include Ministries of Internal Affairs, Commerce, Public Works and Education. Others are Transport, Labor, Health, and Finance and Development Planning or MFPD, among others.

Speaking on behalf of his colleagues, one of the graduates, Mr. Cooper expressed thanks and appreciation to the Government of Liberia and its partner for the effort in building the capacity of Liberians across the country.

He also assured the government of their commitment to working tirelessly in making sure the decentralization exercise is a success to encourage partners to continue with the program. By Ben P. Wesee – Edited by Jonathan Browne