Facing Chief Executive With Performance Reports -Ganta Retreat Dominated By Stewardship Accountability -All Ministries, Agencies, Commissions Take The Stand

MONROVIA – It would be a mistake for anyone of hastily adjudge the ongoing Cabinet Retreat chaired by President George Weah in the northern city of Ganta as yet another fanfare and safari—or a talking shop—organized by yet another political administration looking for attention. As far as the proceedings are concerned, a serious rollcall is taking place and nearly all Government ministries, agencies and commissions (MACs), including state-owned enterprises, are sweating profusely, struggling to report on their stewardships, convincing their appointers, President George Manneh Weah, they are working and producing substantive results consistent with their fiduciary responsibilities. As The Analyst reports, the first day’s session at which the fiscal and monetary as well as integrity institutions reporting was followed on Tuesday, the second day, with the rest of some 47 MACs facing the president and accounting to him on what they have done, how they did it and how they have achieved and hope to achieve further.

The ongoing Cabinet Retreat enters day second day of session yesterday, Tuesday, July 12, 2022 in Ganta City, Nimba County with Ministries, Agencies, Commissions and State-owned Enterprises (SOEs) making presentations on their achievements, challenges and plans for the next 16 months to the 2023 general elections.

The exercise, accordingly, is basically aimed at repositioning the participating public institutions’ respective activities for the benefit of the Liberian people.

Shortly after the arrival of President George Manneh Weah who is chairing the event, and following his usual jokes apparently meant to cheer up the participants, Jordan Sulunteh, Director of Cabinet and moderator of the program announced the commencement of the program.

Reporting earlier on the first day were the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning, Central Bank of Liberia, the Liberia Revenue Authority, the General Auditing Commission, the Public Procurement Concessions Commission, the Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission, and the Internal Audit Agency.

The second session began with the presentation of the Minister of Agriculture, Ms. Jeanie Cooper who recalled the mandate given to her by President Weah upon her appointment.

According to her, the mandate was to work towards the realization of the vision for the transformation of the agriculture sector with emphasis placed on attainment food security and self-reliance, increasing access to finance for the sector, expanding the cultivation of cash crops, improving the value chain through value addition to the country’s cash crops, etc. She said her stewardship at the Ministry has been working assiduously to implement the agenda despite the challenges being faced by the country such as the advent of the Covid-19 which according to her broke out shortly after her appointment.

She reported: “Mr. President, we were able to organize the first Agriculture Fair which was aimed at showcasing the possibility of the commercialization of the agriculture sector with the view of producing our products and marketing them to the outside world. Mr. President you told us that you will be glad to see our products being sold on the world market such that when you travel, you will be able to see them and even buy them. We are on course with realizing the vision of the transformation agenda in this sector.”

The minister said one of the achievements she has made was building confidence in the mind of the country’s development partners, adding that this confidence and trust has embolden external support to the sector, mentioning the amount of $20M from one of the development partners and another $40m from the United States government to finance some projects.

She also said that the recent announcement by President George R. Biden and leaders of the G7 to launch Feed The Future Program where Liberia was named as the only African country will be a big boost to agriculture especially in the area of securing food sufficiency of the country.

“Mr. President, there have been some investments in the sector. Jetty is building a rubber processing plant that will rubber tyres in the country. There is huge investment between a local Liberian company and its foreign partners where they are bringing in layers and I can tell you that by December this year, about 100% of the eggs we will eat in Monrovia will come from this initiative”, she said amid cheers.

After her presentation, President Weah asked the media to excuse the event hall so that the ministries and SOEs will make their presentation and also afford closed door opportunities to cabinet to have their discussion of cameras.

Nearly every institution, mainly heretofore unknown unknown and dormant ministries, agencies, commissions testified to unprecedented political will by President Weah demonstrated through fiscal support and strong leadership making them to make “first-time achievements” that had eluded them for years and decades.

Many of the organizations, including the WASH Commission, Commission on People with Disability, Liberia National Small Arms Commission, the Disaster Relief Commission, amongst many others extolled President Weah for catapulting them from the dust of neglect, increasing their fiscal budgets and repositioning them better to serve the people of Liberia—something that makes them enjoy national and international acclaim for the first time in their histories.

They testified unanimously but separately that President Weah rare leadership style lift them to nobler heights as never before experienced, and asked you to continue to exhibit the political will in the remaining 16 months to general and presidential elections.

The formal closing will be today, July 13, and this will be followed by a project inspections in other parts of Nimba County.

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