The United States government through its Embassy near Monrovia is urging the government of Liberia to support anti-graph Institutions in the country to eradicate corruption.
The General Auditing Commission, the Financial Intelligence Agency, the Public Procurement and Concessions Commission, and the Liberia Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative are among the institutions that will help the government run efficiently, according to Ambassador Michael A. McCarthy, who was speaking at a news conference on Tuesday, December 6, 2022, in Monrovia.
The US Diplomat mentions that the purpose of his most recent set of discussions was to determine whether the U.S. Treasury Department sanctions that were announced in August 2022 had improved responsible governance at the integrity institutions.
Ambassador McCarthy emphasized the need for strong institutions that uphold honesty. He claimed that during the past 20 years, the United States and Liberia have collaborated to create a thriving Liberia for the future of all Liberians.
Liberians came together in 2003 to rebuild the country’s democratic institutions and safeguards for preserving its democratic governance after years of war. One of these safeguards was the integrity institutions of Liberia, which were created, financed, and staffed by some of the country’s sharpest brains. Together with a strong civil society and a thriving free press, these institutions, which were established by law and meant to be immune to political influence, give Liberia special advantages in maintaining its democracy.
The international community took notice as Liberia established its post-war basis on democracy and the rule of law. As a result, multinational corporations returned to Liberia’s borders, and GDP growth surged from 2003 to 2011. The economy slowed, corruption rose, and foreign companies started looking elsewhere for investment prospects over the past ten years as Liberian leaders reduced their political and financial support for the country’s crucial integrity institutions.
The US Diploma believes that these trends are related and that there is a direct correlation between the health of Liberia’s integrity institutions and the health of the Liberian economy. Well-functioning integrity institutions reflect a country’s commitment to the rule of law, giving both foreign and domestic investors the confidence they need to invest and keep their money in Liberia and to lay the foundation for Liberia’s future prosperity. Liberia’s economic potential remains enormous, but this will not be realized without the accountable democratic governance that Liberia’s integrity institutions are meant to promote. Liberia’s integrity institutions need more resources to fulfill their legal mandates. Unfortunately, many of these essential organizations have much smaller budgets than they enjoyed years ago, and even less purchasing power.
The majority of the integrity institutions hardly receive the full amount that the legislature has allocated for them. They are far from being as effective as they ought to be since they are starved of money and unsure of whether or when they will receive their next allocation. These financial shortages result in significant reductions in operational funding, depriving the integrity institutions of the necessary fuel for their vehicles or laptops for audits and investigations. If real oversight of service delivery and more efficient, effective governance are the desired outcomes. In order to build a stronger nation, Ambassador McCarthy implores the Legislature to raise these organizations’ budgets.
Integrity institutions in Liberia need strong political support to be successful in their missions. The integrity institutions of Liberia are essential to preventing corruption and maintaining good governance since democracies are only as strong as the institutions that provide checks and balances, according to Amb. McCarthy.
