By Lewis S. Teh
Monrovia Mayor-designate, John Charuk Siafa says strengthening institutional and administrative capacity for improved service delivery is key to his multi-phase approaches for better city governance.
Mr. Siafa, who is set to face senate confirmation this week, has vowed to improve the capacity of staffers of the Monrovia City Corporation and keep the city clean and green.
The Senate Committee on Internal Affairs is headed by Nimba County Senator Prince Johnson, a staunch supporter of President Boakai.
President Joseph Boakai nominated Mr. Siafa on January 27, 2024, as Mayor-designate for Monrovia.
If confirmed, he will serve as the 28th City Mayor of Monrovia, replacing former Mayor Jefferson Tamba Koijee.
Mr. Siafa will also become the third post-war Mayor to be confirmed by the Liberian Senate after his immediate predecessor Koijee.
At his confirmation hearing this week, he is expected to appeal for increment in budgetary allocation for the City Government to strengthen its capacity to ensure a clean, green, and safe city.
[bsa_pro_ad_space id=1]
He is expected to improve the city revenue intake through enhancement of the revenue generation arm of the MCC.
Like his predecessor, Siafa is also expected to further invest in the City Police to transform it into a police force that engages in robust enforcement of city ordinances as well as promoting community policing.
In achieving his short, medium, and long-term multifaceted agenda, the MCC presumed boss is expected to de-politicize the function of the institution and strengthen Human Resource potential of staffers.
The incoming Mayor is also expected to strengthen existing relations Monrovia has had both internally and externally as well as renewing and consolidating diplomatic relations with intergovernmental organizations through sustained diplomatic negotiations.
He has lauded the City of Monrovia’s strategic allies including the European Union and World Bank for their incessant support to the City Government, noting that said diplomatic partnership will be more solidified under his stewardship.
Mayor-designate Siafa before the inauguration of President Boakai led a team of Liberians to robustly clean the streets of Monrovia and concurrently Paynesville, an initiative that has been extended even after the inauguration.
The national cleanup campaign was conducted under an exercise styled “JNB-JKK Volunteer Cleanup Exercise”.
Many residents have extolled him and his team for such an eye-watering endeavor, thus calling on him to institute said waste management model for the City of Monrovia.
MCC staffers are expected to turn out in their numbers at the Legislature in solidarity of their new boss, Mayor-designate John-Charuk Siafa. Editing by Jonathan Browne
