IPNEWS-MONROVIA: The Liberia Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (LEITI) now has a new Head and Deputy Head of Secretariat.

The Multi-Stakeholder Steering Group of the LEITI on February 20, 2021, disclosed the hiring of Jeffrey N. Yates, Head of Secretariat, and Daniel B. Tipason, Deputy Head of Secretariat following a rigorous recruitment exercise that lasted for almost a year.

Both men were finally awarded contracts by the MSG on February 20, 2021, after a comprehensive recommendation from the Finance and Administration Committee of the Board. Jeffrey N. Yates joined the LEITI in 2016 as Head of Finance after serving the General Auditing Commission (GAC) in several capacities including Supreme Auditor, Senior Auditor, and Performance Audit Manager.

After the GAC, Mr. Yates was hired as the Professional Ethics and Anti-Fraud Consultant under the World Bank and assigned to the Liberia Revenue Authority Formation Office.

He holds a Masters of Business Administration from the University of Nairobi. He is a Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE) as well as a Certified Forensic Investigation Professional (CFIP). Mr. Yates before his recruitment served the LEITI Secretariat as Officer-In-Charge from September 2019 to February 2021.

Daniel B. Tipason for his part joins the LEITI with a wealth of experience in both public and private sectors having served the Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission (LACC) as Executive Director for nine years from 2008 to 2017.

Mr. Tipason holds a Master of Science (MSc) degree in Regional Science and a Bachelor of Science (BSc) degree in Economics from the University of Liberia.

In a statement of appointment on behalf of the MSG, the Chairperson of the MSG Mr. C. Mike Doyen thanked all stakeholders and expressed the government’s continuous commitment to the scrupulous implementation of the EITI process in the Country.

He assured the new head and his deputy of the MSG’s commitment and support admonishing them to innovate ideas to move the entity forward