Liberia’s President George Manneh Weah has rallied his fellow compatriots to address the nation’s current economic defects in order to derive fresh measures aimed at tackling the nation’s growing economic hardship. At the opening of the Economic Dialogue in Monrovia today, the Liberian Head of State said he could not pretend to be an economist but would rather seek the best minds from every sector of the society in order to generate new ideas that would engender hope for the population, The ANALYST reports.
Emboldened by increased economic hardship facing his people amidst growing waves of inflation and skyrocketing food prices, President George Weah yesterday made a glaring plead for all Liberians to hold together in order to generate new ideas that would help resolve challenges facing the country’s current economic meltdown.
“In order to fix the economy, the President said it would require soliciting the best minds and brains that the nation has to offer,” President Weah said.
He spoke yesterday, Wednesday, at the 3-Day National Economic Dialogue held at the Ministerial Complex, Congo Town. The forum is being held under the theme: ‘National Economic Revival And Growth: Critical Issues, Challenges, And A Way Forward’.
“I am not an economist, and will never pretend to be one,” President Weah declared. “Yet, the mantle of leadership that has been placed upon me, gives me direct responsibility to find lasting solutions to repair our broken economy, and make life better for our people,” President Weah told stakeholders during the opening stages of the three day Economic Dialogue in Monrovia.
He reminded the Liberian nation of the challenges his government is facing from its very inception, but however vowed that he would do all within his reach to take his responsibility head-on, come what may.
President Weah: “You will recall that, in an Address which I gave to the Nation in May this year, I said that we Liberians should work together in our attempts to tackle our toughest problems, and seek to make the choices that will lead to changes that have broad positive effects. Again, in June this year, in another address to the Nation.
The President said his government does not have a monopoly on ideas, and therefore acknowledged that it will take the collective efforts of all Liberians to achieve the desired objective of reviving the economy, and placing the country on a path of sustainable development and transformation.
“I therefore urged all Liberians to work with our Administration to devise and support new measures which could successfully address the structural defects and imbalances in our economy,” he pleaded. President Weah then called for discussions and dialogue on the way forward for economic revival in Liberia. This is the genesis of this National Economic Dialogue Conference.”
The Government of Liberia (GoL) recently announced the hosting of a 3-day economic dialogue funded by UNDP and supported by other partners including European Union, ECOWAS, World Bank etc.
The aim of the conference is to reach a national consensus on feasible short & medium-term policy measures, strategies, programs & a time-bound road map to strengthen economic recovery, growth, peace & reconciliation.
The Chairman of the National Economic Dialogue, Dr. Toga Gaywea McIntosh, said the long-term objective of the National Economic Dialogue (NED) is to strengthen transparent, participatory and accountable economic governance.
“The purpose of the Dialogue is to (a) stimulate a broad-based national conversation on the state and fate of the Liberian economy; and (b) collectively find ways that would situate Liberia on a path of rapid economic recovery and growth,” McIntosh emphasized.
4th-6th September will see at least 250 participants from all parts of Liberia coming together to re-enforce and invigorate the conversation around pressing thematic areas.
They will be drawn from the private sector, political parties, labor unions, academia, students, women and youth groups, religious community, traditional leaders, physically challenged and disadvantaged groups, media, civil society organizations, and development partners.
At a press briefing, Dr. McIntosh disclosed that discussions will be built around; Public Finance Mobilization and Management; Investment Promotion and Private Sector Growth; Youth Unemployment and Skills Development; Peace and Reconciliation for Sustained Economic Growth.
He expressed hope that the national consensus will be incorporated in their respective actions and programs as we fix our ailing economy.
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