By Emmanuel wise Jipoh
President George Weah launches Accelerated Community Development Program (ACDP) here, aimed at bridging gap between urban and rural communities.
The launch was held on Monday, 24th October during the 77th United Nations Anniversary at Pan African Plaza in Monrovia.
President Weah says the ACDP is a flagship program designed by his office to address social economic challenges faced by poor rural and urban communities in Liberia, something he notes, will bring about unprecedented development.
The initiative, which is still in its early stages, is sponsored by the Government of Liberia under the direction of a national steering committee to be supervised and executed by the Office of the President in collaboration with the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and other partners.
The launch comes barely a year to presidential and legislative elections in 2023 in which Mr. Weah is seeking a second term. Critics say he has done much in his first term, pointing to widespread corruption in the administration characterized by lack of transparency and accountability.
President Weah says in line with his government’s Pro-poor Agenda for Prosperity and Development (PAPD) roadmap, the ACDP aims to improve access of rural populations to essential social services through establishment of socio-economic infrastructure.
According to him, the ACDP will directly address the needs of the citizenry at the grassroots level and complement other ongoing initiatives by government.
[bsa_pro_ad_space id=1]
Mr. Weah explains that the project is very close to his heart, and will provide potable water, solar lighting, improve road connectivity, energy, sanitation and food security to large rural communities.
He says the ACDP was created out of genuine concern from the Liberian people, during his Presidential tours (2021-2022), who he observes, have been suffering for far too long, from lack of basic social services.
The President lauds UNDP for helping to maintain the peace in Liberia and reaffirms his government’s commitment to upholding peace and democracy, which describes as key to development.
The theme of this year’s Forum, “The Future we want, the UN we need: Reaffirming our collective commitment to national peace and development,” emphasizes the critical role peace plays in galvanizing the people of Liberia to contribute their collective quota towards the realization of national development.
“As I have said on many occasions: without peace, there can be no sustainable development. This is more than a mere observation; it is – in fact – my firm conviction. And because of this, I have dedicated every effort since my incumbency to ensure that peace prevails in Liberia, our native land”, the President notes.
President Weah: “You will all be aware that a successful Peace Agenda must always consist of at least three (3) distinct phases: Firstly, achieving the peace; Secondly, consolidating the peace so as to prevent reversals; and Thirdly, sustaining the peace.”
For his part, UN Resident Coordinator Niels Scott says the UN in Liberia will increasingly focus more of its work “downstream” at county and community levels to ensure that every person in the country enjoys development goals.
