Celebrate Progress, Do Not Shy from Gaps -World Bank Official Tells GoL at Peer Review Forum

MONROVIA – Yesterday, the Liberian Government and stakeholders converged at the opening of the launch workshop on the Popularization of the AU’s APRM Revised Country Self-Assessment Questionnaire and Methodology, and the World Bank Country Manager Georgia Wallen was used the occasion to cheer up participants and provide useful counsel to participants, principally of the Government of Liberia.

She told attendees that the workshop was about more than tools and methodologies; it was also about strengthening the practice of good governance in Liberia, a step in walking out the ambitions of the ARREST Agenda for Inclusive Development. 

The African Peer Review Mechanism, Madam Wallen said, “stands an important principle:  countries that assess their governance performance, benchmark against peers, and follow through on reforms are better able to deliver for their citizens.”

She noted that by updating and popularizing the revised self-assessment questionnaire—and by building national capacity to apply it— Liberia was taking a concrete step toward that vision. 

“As you embark on the technical sessions, I would encourage you to be candid,” the World Bank official asserted. “Celebrate progress, but do not shy away from gaps.” 

She told participants to be coherent, by connecting the findings from the questionnaire under discussion to national plans and budget processes. 

“Last, be collaborative. Sustain the partnerships you forge here—across ministries, with independent researchers, and with civil society,” she noted.

According to her, Liberia’s commitment to a second-generation peer review speaks to the country’s determination to translate principles into practice and action.

“It also reflects the Boakai Administration’s broader emphasis on integrity, accountability, and delivery,” Ms Wallen said.

Highlighting three reasons the workshop was especially timely and valuable, she said “it investsin national capacity,” because by training government counterparts, research institutions, and independent think tanks on the methodology for deconstructing and domesticating the questionnaire, “you are deepening skills that will outlast this review. Capacity is the engine of sustained reform.”

On the second reason, she said “it centers evidence and inclusion”.

“A modern self-assessment is only as strong as its data and the voices it captures,” Wallen continued. “Bringing in civil society, youth, academia, and the media ensures that the diagnosis is rigorous and the recommendations credible. This is how shared accountability is built.”

The third reason for the workshop was that “it fosters peer learning”, as Liberia’s experience will benefit from lessons across the continent, and what Liberia pioneers here—on domestication, on data systems, on engaging communities—will, in turn, inform others.

“That is the promise of the APRM: African solutions, shared and scaled,” Ms. Wallen further opined, reaffirming World Bank commitment to supporting country-owned pathways to stronger governance and institutions. 

“We see clear synergies between the APRM process and our own emphasis on data-driven policymaking, public financial management, service delivery, and resilience to shocks,” she said, assuring the government of Liberia the “World Bank stands ready to accompany you—sharing global and regional experience, supporting data systems and capacity, and aligning our programs with the priorities that emerge from this process.”