MONROVIA – Barely two years into the Unity Party administration, the promise of transformative governance under the ARREST Agenda for Inclusive Development (AAID), is facing intense scrutiny, as fresh independent data questions the government’s capacity to translate ambition into action. A newly released assessment by Naymote Partners for Democratic Development has reignited national debate on performance, accountability, and the effective use of public resources. At the heart of the controversy is the stark mismatch between expenditure and outcomes, raising uncomfortable questions about whether Liberia’s latest development blueprint risks joining a long list of unfulfilled reform agendas. Against this backdrop, the Citizens Movement for Change (CMC) has issued a strongly worded press statement warning that continued underperformance could undermine public trust, derail inclusive development, and deepen inequalities—particularly for citizens outside Monrovia who remain largely excluded from basic government services. The CMC issued a statement regarding the report, as THE ANALYST reports.
The Citizens Movement for Change (CMC) has expressed grave concern over what it describes as the Unity Party government’s failure to deliver meaningful progress under the ARREST Agenda for Inclusive Development, following the publication of Naymote’s January–December 2025 performance report.
In a press statement released on January 14, 2026, the CMC said it was “gravely alarmed and indignant” by the findings, which paint a troubling picture of sluggish implementation, weak monitoring systems, and a growing disconnect between policy commitments and tangible outcomes.
According to Naymote’s assessment, the AAID—designed around 378 interventions and 52 core programs across six strategic pillars—has recorded alarmingly low completion rates. Only 0.8 percent of planned interventions have been completed, while 43.7 percent remain ongoing, 20.1 percent have not started, and 35.4 percent could not be rated due to insufficient data.
Progress under critical pillars such as Governance and Anti-Corruption, Infrastructure Development, Environmental Sustainability, and Human Capital Development was assessed at zero percent, while Rule of Law and Economic Transformation stood at just 2.9 percent and 2.5 percent, respectively.
The CMC noted that although Naymote identified a handful of positive developments—including the establishment of a War Crimes Court office, creation of an Ombudsman, biometric ID enrollment, and passage of select legislation—these gains remain largely intangible and insufficient to offset systemic failures across the broader agenda.
Among the cited legislative achievements are the validation of the Alternative Dispute Resolution Act, the passage of the National Tourism Act, and the Ministry of Local Government Act, which has cleared the Senate and awaits concurrence by the House of Representatives.
“These isolated successes demonstrate that progress is possible when political will, resources, and institutional capacity align,” the CMC argued, “but their scarcity across the AAID highlights precisely what is missing.”
The movement warned that without urgent reforms in planning, reporting, and accountability, the AAID risks becoming “another unrealizable governance blueprint.”
Perhaps most alarming, the CMC emphasized, is the growing imbalance between spending and results. Naymote’s report shows that more than 33 percent of AAID-allocated resources have already been deployed, while less than one percent of promised outcomes have been fully achieved.
The CMC extrapolated this trend, warning that at the current pace—roughly 0.08 percent completion every two years—the government could exhaust 100 percent of allocated resources by 2029 while delivering as little as 2.4 percent of intended outcomes.
“Such a staggering gap between resource utilization and tangible results is unacceptable,” the statement said, adding that it raises serious questions about how public funds are being managed.
The Naymote report also sheds light on persistent weaknesses in decentralization, a cornerstone of inclusive development.
An assessment of County Service Centers revealed that over 60 percent of government services are unavailable at the county level, forcing nearly 86 percent of citizens to travel to Monrovia to access essential services.
The continued reliance on paper-based systems and in-person submissions further entrenches inefficiency, delays, and inequitable access.
For the CMC, these findings expose what it calls the “rhetorical nature” of decentralization under the current administration.
The movement argues that excessive centralization stifles local innovation, undermines equitable growth, and perpetuates public frustration—particularly among rural communities already burdened by poverty and limited infrastructure.
Naymote concludes that unless implementation accelerates dramatically, the government is unlikely to meet most AAID targets by 2029. The civil society organization has called for the agenda to be treated as an “existential necessity,” urging collective action, transparency, and results-oriented leadership.
Echoing that call, the CMC warned that weak monitoring, reporting, and accountability mechanisms not only undermine development outcomes but also create fertile ground for mismanagement and wastage of public funds.
“Without credible data and oversight,” the statement said, “planning becomes guesswork, and accountability becomes impossible.”
The movement said the implications extend beyond bureaucratic failure, touching directly on citizens’ daily lives. Poor infrastructure, limited access to social services, and stalled economic opportunities, it argued, are symptoms of a deeper governance deficit that threatens sustainable development and poverty reduction.
In response, the CMC called on the Unity Party–led Executive, under President Joseph Nyuma Boakai, to urgently recalibrate its approach by strengthening planning systems, improving transparency, and enforcing effective oversight. It stressed that accountability and results-driven governance are essential if the AAID is to move from rhetoric to reality.
The CMC further urged the National Legislature to conduct hearings into the slow and ineffective implementation of the AAID, demanding a comprehensive public explanation from responsible authorities regarding the use of public funds.
According to the movement, only decisive corrective action and robust legislative oversight can restore confidence and ensure that development resources are channeled toward meaningful and timely outcomes.
Signed by its National Chairman, Hon. James MV Yougie, the CMC concluded by reaffirming its solidarity with citizens nationwide who are demanding “accountability and results—not just promises and expenditures.”