Liberia is endowed with vast natural resources and the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) has always been mesmerizing on paper but the trickledown effect is nothing to write home about. Hence, Deputy Finance Minister for Fiscal Affairs, Samora P. Z. Wolokollie told participants at the beginning of a three day stakeholders’ validation workshop on the “Pro-poor Agenda for Development and Prosperity” (PADP) that the new development roadmap under the leadership of President George Manneh Weah will seek to break the curse by lifting Liberians out of poverty and end inequality.
Speaking at the opening of the exercise in Paynesville on Wednesday, October 17, 2018, Deputy Minister Wolokollie intimated that Liberia is aspiring to become a middle income country during the tenure of President Weah by significantly reducing poverty through decent employment and build a strong and balanced governance system. The workshop was supported by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)
According to him, the aims of the PADP are to build strong and trusted state institutions, reduce poverty by 23% across five (5) out of six (6) regions; sustained and inclusive economic growth by investing in agriculture, infrastructure and resource development.
He added that document outlines the trajectory of government’s development activities over the next five years -2018-2023.
The Deputy Minister for Fiscal Affairs noted that the inputs from stakeholders at the validation workshop would go a long way in ensuring that the aspiration of all Liberians is reflected in the final document.
Speaking earlier, the Assistant Minister for Development Planning at the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning, Benedict Kolubah said the validation workshop is part of a unique process that facilitates a defining moment for the direction of Liberia over the next five years.
He said the convergence of key stakeholders at the workshop especially those who contributed to the drafting of the document that is being validated.
For her part, Deputy Finance Minister for Budget and Development Planning, Tanneh Brunson said the Pro-poor Agenda for Development and Prosperity will pay keen attention to the ageold problem of growth without tricledown effect on the lives of the people.
Representatives from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and United Nations Children Fud (UNICEF) graced the occasion and expressed delight over the exercise.
