NAYMOTE trains 30 local leader’s

Thirty local leaders in Bong County, including district commissioners and chiefs have benefitted from a one-day capacity building training workshop held at the Bong County Women Center in Gbarnga under the auspices of the National Youth Movement for Transparent Election, NAYMOTE.

The overall goal of the training was to increase local leaders’ leadership skills and deepen their understanding on leadership to ensure participatory planning and sustainable development in Bong County.

Participants deepen their understanding about leadership, including characteristics of a good leader, and teambuilding. They also learned about the county service center and services being provided there by the government; how they could promote the usage of the service center at the district levels thru effective use of Community Radio Stations to promote grassroots development and share development information in their respective communities.

Facilitators at the training included, Mr. Anthony Sheriff, Assistant Bong County Superintendent for Development, Mr. Jefferson Gbaryan, Coordinator, Bong County Service Center and Mr. Clarence P. Jackson, Sr., Regional Coordinator, Press Union of Liberia.

The head of the Center, Jefferson Gbaryan highlighted in his presentation fees and the processes of services being rendered by the Center. He then reported that the service center generated Seven Hundred Seventy-one Thousand, Eight Hundred Thirty-three (LD771,833.00) Liberian Dollars plus Eight Thousand, Two Hundred Ten (US$8,210.00) United States Dollars from the different services being provided between the period May and July, 2016 – the first operating period since the opening of the center.

Bong County Development Superintendent, Anthony Sheriff, lectured on past and present financial transactions of the county with specific focus on allocations to various districts and projects implemented, among other issues.

Participants after the training promised to share the message about the county service center through various channels such as community radio stations, town criers and town hall meetings.

Facilitator Clarence Jackson, also from Radio Gbarnga – a community FM station, promised to provide regular airtime to District Commissioners to explain about activities in their respective districts. The participants promised to use the skills gained for the development of the county.

At the end of the workshop, Naymote Executive Director, Eddie Jarwolo, told participants that leadership is about power and the ability to know when and how to use it to influence and inspire the people around you to contribute.

He said the training would continue, because capacity building is key in realizing the vision of the decentralization and local governance process, while calling on local leaders in Bong County to promote the county service center and make it accessible, accountable and responsive to the people.

This is the second in the series of training for local leaders in Bong County. In 2013, NAYMOTE partnered with Cuttington University also in Bong and trained 50 local leaders on understanding local governance in Liberia, participatory planning, budgeting, how to conduct needs assessment and leadership under a 12-week program.

By Bridgett Milton-Editing by Jonathan Browne