The civil servants are from various government ministries, agencies and commissions in Grand Cape Mount, Bomi, Rivercess and Gbarpolu counties.

The training taking place in Monrovia is intended to build the capacity of the CSC staff to enable them become effective in the actualization process of government’s Service Deconcentration Initiative.

According to a MIA press release, the participants are being trained to serve various service centers in the earmarked counties.

Topics during the training include the concept of political, administrative and fiscal decentralization by which citizens or local elected officials will have power in public decision-making, the transferring of planning, financing and management of certain functions from central government to local authorities.

Also being taught are financial or monitoring responsibilities to be given local government structures to help in developing the country as well as gender mainstreaming intended to highlight women’s promotion for full participation at all levels of the decentralization process.

Speaking during the opening of the training, acting Deputy Internal Affairs Minister for Administration, Momolu S. Johnson, said decentralization is essential to the post- conflict reconstruction and governing processes of Liberia since the country has been running only from Monrovia for many decades.

Speaking earlier, the National Program Director for the Decentralization Program, Dr. Roosevelt G. Jayjay, said though there are many challenges facing the decentralization concept, the Ministry of Internal Affairs remains committed to ensuring that the challenges are resolved in order to achieve the goals of the program.

For his part, Cllr. Yarsuo Weh-Dorliae, a Commissioner at the Governance Commission, said the deconcentration initiative is a historical event since independence in 1847.

According to him, the deconcentration concept to change course where the main sources of job, medication, businesses, education and other major opportunities are always concentrated in Monrovia.

“People will not travel from far distances on bad road again to Monrovia to get birth certificates, work permits, marriage certificates and other important services as everything will now be at the county level.” said Cllr. Weh-Dorliae.

In remarks, an official of the European Union, Manuel Iglesias, commended the Ministry of Internal Affairs for the training exercise and called on government to ensure sustainability of the CSCs that are being established across the country.

Implementation of the Liberia Decentralization Support Program (LDSP) is funded by the European Union, Swedish Government, USAID, UNMIL and UNDP.
LINA PR/BMK/TSS/PTK