MONROVIA: Liberia’s Internal Affairs Minister Francis’s Sakila Nyumalin has highlighted the importance of decentralization in bringing government services closer to the people.
He praised President Joseph Nyuma Boakai, for his commitment to decentralization, including the establishment of a Ministry of Local Government.
Speaking over the weekend during the opening of the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Decentralization (IMCD), the Internal Affairs Minister also stressed the need for quick action to address issues such as the malfunctioning of computers and printers at various Counties Service Centers as well as the lack of separate structures for these centers.
He noted the progress made in implementing the Local Government Act of 2018, such as the creation of County Councils and the National Council of Chiefs is in the right direction.
Speaking on the theme: “Building New Liberia through Decentralization,” Minister Nyumalin also announced plans for a weeklong orientation in the Provisional City of Ganta, Nimba County, to provide training for newly appointed county and local officials.
The Inter-Ministerial Committee on Decentralization (IMCD) meeting highlighted the government’s efforts to strengthen decentralization and improve service delivery at the local level.
Minister Nyumalin described the meeting as a pace-setting moment for the rollout of long-awaited reforms in the decentralization sector.
At the same time, participants at the Friday gathering expressed their support for these initiatives and pledged to work together to build a new Liberia through decentralization.
The IMCD is the highest authority for setting national priorities and providing policy guidance and coordination for decentralization reforms and is comprises of heads of all decentralization sector Ministries, Agencies and Commissions (MACs) under supervision of the President of Liberia.
The Minister of Internal Affairs Chairs the Decentralization Board, coordinates the activities of all sector agencies and provides periodic updates to the President and the Cabinet.
In 2012, government embarked on a governance reform when it launched a National Policy on Decentralization and Local Governance and subsequently opened County Service Centers as a one-stop shop for issuance of documentation services related to licenses, permits and certificates.
