Gov’t, Partners Discuss ‘Pro-Poor’ Agenda

The Ministry of Finance and Development Planning (MFDP) Thursday held a one-day consultative forum with stakeholders drawn from different sectors of the nation’s economy to discuss means for the achievement of the government’s “Pro-Poor” Agenda.

Stakeholders At The Forum

The forum, which was held at the Paynesville Town Hall outside Monrovia, brought together members of the disabled and business community, academia, civil society and youth.

Speaking at the forum, the Assistant Director for Non-governmental Organizations (NGOs) at MFDP, Raymond B. Ziama, said the meeting was aimed to involved everyone in the development process of the country.

“This meeting is about sharing idea and taking ownership of our development plan,” he stated.

According to Ziama, the “Pro-Poor” agenda is not a deviation of the Agenda for Transformation (AfT), but a follow-up to that agenda, which is a medium-term agenda of the Vision 2030 adopted in 2012.

“The setting up of the Pro-Poor Agenda is not to do away with another development agenda. It is a second medium-term agenda that will move us to the achievement of the Vision 2030,” he added.

Benedict Kolubah, Assistant Minister for Development Planning at MFDP, pointed out that the “Pro-Poor” Agenda is an inclusive development agenda, because it carries the views and aspiration of ordinary Liberians.

Because the agenda is about inclusive development, he stated that it was important to bring stakeholders from different spectrum of the society together to brainstorm on issues of their country’s development process.

“We are here to gather your views for development for the next five years. What you see us doing here today was done across the country,” Kolubah disclosed.

“The reason why we are doing this is because if you don’t have your input you will not have interest in this. But with this, you will ensure that your interest is protected at all times,” he asserted.

Meanwhile, the “Pro-Poor” Agenda is built on four key protocols namely; (1) power to the people; (2) economic growth; (3) peace and security and (4) decentralization.