The Program Manager for Political and Legal Reforms at the Governance Commission says fiscal decentralization is the surest way to engendering and realizing the full implementation of the Local Government Act of Liberia.
Mr. Actebeouson Nyema said the national government has by far too long been operated through a centralized system for decades and has not yielded any meaningful result for Liberians.
Speaking in an exclusive interview with the Liberia News Agency, Nyema said in 2018, President George Manneh Weah signed into law the Local Government Act and it is on this basis that a policy dialogue fiscal decentralization is being implemented in order to operationalize it in every part of the country.
He said under the decentralization component, there are three elements: administrative, political and fiscal aspects that are very key in implementing the Local Government Act and so, to advance it, the Governance Commission and other relevant ministries and agencies developed the ‘Revenue Sharing Formula’ which paves the way for the enactment into law of the revenue sharing law of Liberia, 2021.
“So, it is on this basis, that the Governance Commission is having a policy dialogue on the revenue sharing law of Liberia across the country with stakeholders including key local government actors to enable citizens understand how the revenue sharing mechanism will be done,” he further explained.
He stated that already, there are four regional policy dialogues being organized by the Governance Commission that will enable all stakeholders including county inspectors, fiscal affairs superintendents, persons with disabilities, women and youth groups, and as well as civil society organizations to enable them adequately explain to their respective localities the accompanying benefits brings to the country.
Meanwhile, the Governance Commission has frowned on the lack of specialized civil society organizations in the country.
Nyema revealed that studies conducted by the Governance Commission show that there is no specialized civil society that will ensure that when key laws are enacted, must be implemented.
He indicated that these civil society organizations are fragmented into thematic emphasis as in most instances are seen engaging in multiple advocacy and not focused on a specific area.
“As a result of this, you cannot see which civil society organization will push these laws whenever they are enacted by the legislature.”
The workshop was held under the theme; “Strengthening Citizen’s Participation in Fiscal Decentralization” which was in collaboration with the Liberia Revenue Authority, (LRA), sponsored by the United Nations Development Program, UNDP, the Swedish Government Irish AID and brought together various stakeholders and key local government actors including County Inspectors, Fiscal Affairs Superintendents, Persons with Disabilities, women and youth group and civil society organizations.
