Pres. Sirleaf Receives Delegation from UNECA

President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf has received in audience a high-powered delegation from the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) based in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. She thanked the visiting ECA Mission and said she was particularly pleased over the Commission’s timely response within the spirit of the MOU signed between the Government of Liberia and the Economic Commission for Africa.

An Executive Mansion release said, the Liberian leader received the Mission at her Foreign Ministry office in Monrovia. President Sirleaf said she was delighted that the team has covered a lot of ground in view of their mission. She underscored the issue of ‘reliability’ in furtherance of the Agenda for Transformation (AfT) in correlation with the domestication of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

President Sirleaf expressed the hope that the implementation process based on proper information for proper decision-making. She noted that the work of the ECA in partnership with the government will help to move forward in light of proper framework.

She said as the country braces itself for political transition, it is critical that a domestication road-map is set in motion to guide a new administration once the necessary framework becomes fully established. “Hope your time frame would enable to achieve this strategic realization,” President Sirleaf emphasized. She said her government will meticulously look at the ECA implementation plan as realistically as practicable.

Speaking earlier, the head of the ECA delegation, Madam Isatou Gaye said the mission was happy to be in Liberia in fulfillment of the letter and spirit of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed with the Government that seeks cushion the Agenda for Transformation in line with the Sustainable Development Goals.

Madam Gaye reiterated ECA’s commitment to the trappings of the Memorandum of Understanding reached and assured that the Commission will work along with Liberia in order to realize the objectives set out in the MOU.

She paid tribute to President Sirleaf for her esteem leadership on the regional, continental and global stage particularly her critical contributions at the level of the High-Level Panel on the transition from the MDGs to the SDGS. She told President Sirleaf that the delegation used the mission to focus the Agenda for Transformation within the context of – Agriculture as an economic development sector; Liberia Institute of Statistics and Geo-Information Services (LISGIS) and Capacity development. She said the seconding of International consultants with be complimented by National Consultants in the respective areas of partnership. She then informed the President about the ECA’s Implementation Plan.

Also speaking, Finance and Development Planning Minister, Hon. Boima Kamara acknowledged the significant role and support of Dr. Carlos Lopez leading to the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU); as a tool through which the SDGs can become realized in view of the framework and road-map put into place. He indicated that such leverage of experience has brought to bear quality in terms of the domestication of the SDGs.

The ECA head of delegation – Madam Isatou Gaye was accompanied to President Sirleaf’s office by Messrs Nassirou Ba, Peter Njagi, Ochosia Guaguidi, Marcel Banza and Mersie Ejigu.