CENTAL’s Anderson D. Miamen – Holding GoL’s Feet to Fire, Bridging Gaps Between GoL & People

MONROVIA – Civil society plays a crucial role in governance and development, acting as a bridge between the government and citizens.

Among the 1,500 CSOs registered under the umbrella of the National Civil Society Council of Liberia (NCSCL) and individually or collectively playing transformative role in the future of Liberia, The Analyst focuses its attention on the Center for Transparency and Accountability in Liberia (CENTAL) for its no-nonsense stance over the years in highlighting the ills of the Liberian society, particularly corruption, that undermine good governance and deprive citizens of equitably benefiting from their national resources.

As the country’s lead civil society organization and national chapter of Transparency International (TI), as well as the global coalition against corruption with chapters and networks in more than 120 countries worldwide, CENTAL has since 2004 led and sustained active civil society engagement with integrity building and anti-corruption efforts in Liberia.

During this period, the integrity institution engaged and partnered with diverse stakeholders, including ordinary citizens, local and national officials, international NGOs, bilateral and multilateral institutions, private sector, media, and other civil society organizations respectively.

All of these interactions have allowed CENTAL to develop key competencies, including but not limited to practical research, policy and evidence-based advocacy, development and use of participatory methodologies and tools, integrity system building and strengthening, and networking and coalition building, with specific focus on Land, Mining, Education, Natural Resources, Budget, Health, Anti-Money Laundering and Financial Crimes, Trafficking in Persons, and Procurement.Among other things, CENTAL has provided expert opinions on numerous legislations, national budgets and other policy discussions/documents – Land Authority Bill; Land Rights Act; Freedom of Information (FOI) Law; President’s response to Reparations, Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission (LACC) Act; Liberia Extractives Industries Transparency Initiative (LEITI) Act; Code of Conduct for Public officials and employees; and Education Reform Act of 2011. Also, CENTAL collaborated with the Governance Commission to formulate and popularize the National Anti-Corruption Strategy (NAS) that has led to the creation of the Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission (LACC) and passage of key legislations to sustain and enhance the fight against corruption and efforts to promote integrity values and the culture of transparency and accountability in Liberia.Counted as one of the key society groups that over the years remains untainted from undue political cleavages and unholy alliances, CENTAL has built strong partnerships with local and international donors including Open Society Initiative for West Africa (OSIWA), Liberia Accountability and Voice Initiative (USAID LAVI), Legal Professional Development and Anti-Corruption (USAID LPAC), Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), USAID Internews, Action Aid, European Union, United Nations Development Fund (UNDP), Embassy of Sweden, amongst others.

The integrity icon holds membership in key coalitions, networks and platforms, including but not limited to the followings: Coalition for Transparency and Accountability in Education (COTAE), National Integrity Forum (NIF); Open Government Partnership (OGP); Liberia Freedom of Information Coalition (LFIC); Education Sector Development Committee (ESDC); Civil Society Working Group on Land Reform in Liberia; and the Local Education Group (LEG).

In providing practical solutions to counter the country’s number one socioeconomic malady which is corruption, CENTAL is actively involved with the citizens through the use of a participatory platform where individuals can report incidences of corruption without fear of being targeted.

To achieve this goal, CENTAL has established the Advocacy and Legal Advice Center (ALAC), a walk-in, call-in and mail service where any person(s) can report cases of corruption in Liberia as well as obtain free and confidential legal advice.

It is an independent platform that provides for citizens and witnesses of corruption to freely report acts of corruption where they see it happen.ALAC is a flagship program of Transparency International and has made a significant impact in the fight against corruption in over sixty (60) countries.

It was first established in 2009 at the Center for Transparency and Accountability in Liberia (CENTAL) and re-introduced in 2020 under the National Integrity Building and Anti-Corruption (NIBA) program. Victims or witnesses of corruption reporting through this platform may choose to divulge their identity or remain anonymous. To further bolster the fight against corruption and increase transparency in governance, CENTRAL has developed a good-faith document entitled “Integrity Pledge” to which interested individuals, groups, and institutions voluntarily sign-up to, committing and or recommitting to live and support a corruption-free life and uphold the principles of accountability, transparency, and integrity.

It can be signed by individuals, groups, institutions, ordinary citizens, civil servants, government officials, NGO workers, business executives, and other individuals in society. Integrity Pledge (iPledge) is non-legally binding and cannot be used in any court of law to press charges against anyone for violating or failing to live by its contents.

However, it serves as a conscience-reminder about a worthy open commitment made to welcome and fully support anti-corruption and integrity building efforts.It is against this backdrop that The Analyst in this special publication has chosen CENTAL to represent all civil society groupings in the country that are actively involved in fighting corruption and promoting good governance in Liberia.