South Africa – Mamaka Bility, Minister Without Portfolio, has led a high-level delegation on a research tour in South Africa, where she will interact with important organizations such as the Department of Planning, Monitoring, and Evaluation (DPME) and the University of South Africa (UNISA).
South Africa’s Minister in the Presidency for Planning, Monitoring, and Evaluation, Hon. Maropene Ramokgopa, welcomed the visit, which is a historic step to strengthen academic collaboration, stimulate human development, and increase institutional capacity.
Additionally, the action is focused on creating a historic alliance that will directly help Liberia’s Presidential Delivery Unit (PDU), the vital division under Minister Bility’s direction within the Office of the President of Liberia.
Professor Puleng LenkaBula, the principal and vice-chancellor of the University of South Africa, spoke to the team upon their arrival in South Africa and stressed the need of developing the country’s current public service personnel.
“We currently have dedicated staff within the Presidential Delivery Unit. Rather than replacing them, we want to empower them through structured distance learning in Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E). UNISA is a natural partner for us. With your expertise in distance education and curriculum development, we can design a program tailored for Liberia’s realities,” Prof. LenkaBula stated.
“UnISA is Africa’s largest and oldest open-distance learning institution with over 400,000 students worldwide, state-of-the-art research platforms, and specialized programs in development planning, public administration, and governance,” she said. Because of this, Liberia’s goal to modernize and professionalize its public service delivery systems makes it a perfect partner.
“This partnership speaks to our core mission to empower Africans through knowledge,” the principal and vice-chancellor of UNISA said, pledging full institutional support.
“We will work with Liberia to build flexible, self-sufficient institutions that can drive transformation from within, just as we have done in Sudan, Ethiopia, and Eritrea,” she stated.
The purpose of this journey, according to Minister Bility, is to “build a bridge between two African countries that understand the value of solidarity, knowledge, and shared development, not just to build capacity.”
She explained, “We are here to work together, innovate, and create systems that will benefit our people for generations, not just to learn.”
A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the PDU and UNISA will be drafted at the end of the anticipated six-day visit, laying the groundwork for a long-term, impact-driven collaboration centered on excellence, empowerment, and African-led development.
Along with emphasizing youth empowerment, infrastructure training initiatives, and agricultural education, the visit also stresses the significance of academics in Africa’s economic and political integration.
Since USAID’s assistance is presently on hold, Liberia is looking for domestic alternatives, such as school garden initiatives to improve school-aged children’s nutrition and food systems’ resilience.
The relationship has both academic and diplomatic intergovernmental components, according to H.E. Prof. Iqbal Jhazbhay, South Africa’s ambassador to Liberia, who participated in the conversation.
The two sides talked about working together to provide specialized training programs for engineers, technicians, and project managers operating under government contracts throughout the engagements.
But there was a common focus on skills localization, scalability, and sustainability, emphasizing not only training but also developing mechanisms to retain and use that knowledge throughout Liberia’s expanding development sectors.
Reported by: Prince Saah
Contact: +231778239813
Email: saahprince119@gmail.com
