The Monrovia City Corporation’s Press and Public Affairs Department has come in defense of the Mayor of Monrovia, Jefferson Tamba Koijee, and sharply reacted to the statement of the United States Ambassador, Michael McCarthy, during the 213th anniversary of ex-President Joseph Jenkins Roberts.
The United States Ambassador, His Excellency Michael A. McCarthy, in a statement published in observance of the 213th birthday of Liberia’s First President, Joseph Jenkins Roberts, expressed surprise at remarks he heard at the February 16 Monrovia Day celebration in Monrovia.
Ambassador McCarthy is quoted as stating, “Last month, I was surprised at the words of the city leadership on Monrovia Day. A senior official lamented that, unlike his previous three years in office, ‘No donor or external partner is funding the recurrent cost of solid waste collection and disposal,’ implying that he was abandoned by the international community. Is there a more basic local government responsibility than the collection and proper disposal of garbage?”
Commenting further the Ambassador asked, “Would Liberia’s first President have imagined that, 175 years after independence, foreigners should be held responsible for the removal of garbage in his capital city?”
In a press release issued yesterday, the MCC said, “First, the ‘senior official’ referred to was the Mayor of Monrovia, Honorable Jefferson T. Koijee, who was delivering the annual State of the City Message to the citizens as required by City Ordinance No. 4. The State of the City Message highlighted the City Government’s progress made and problems encountered during the year 2021, and the MCC plan for the year 2022.
“Second, the Monrovia City Corporation is concerned that the US Ambassador would decontextualize a portion of the Mayor’s report. That segment of Mayor Koijee’s message was made with a full perspective of the trends and circumstance of waste management in Monrovia with a view to emphasize progress attained over the years and gaps realized. Mayor Koijee was very emphatic in stressing the responsibility of the people of Liberia to keeping the city clean.
“This is what the Mayor said: ‘Like previous years since I assume the office of Mayor of Monrovia, getting the needed resources for effective Solid Waste Management within the city is still a huge confrontation. As we speak, no donor or external partner is funding the recurrent cost of solid waste collection and disposal. Our meager internal revenue is very inadequate to fund this cost-intensive venture. The wrong mindset of a very large segment of our people has worsened the situation in that they believe solid waste management within the city is government’s business, and not theirs, amid intensive awareness and sensitization to disabuse their minds. Before 2018, the year that I took over as Mayor, the World Bank had spent over US$29.4 million in total from Additional Financing (AF1, AF2 and AF3) through the Liberia Reconstruction Trust Fund (LRTF) for six years on the Emergency Monrovia Urban Sanitation (EMUS) Project, with an annual contribution of US$4.9 million to the solid waste management sector of the city. Additionally, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation funded primary waste (door to door) collection in the amount of US$1 million for more than 5 years through the IMPAC Project with Cities Alliance as implementing partner plus subsidies from the Government of Liberia (GOL). This means that before I assume office, more than US$5.9 million in total was spent on solid waste management every year up to end of the EMUS Project in 2016 and the IMPAC Project in 2015, plus subsidies from the Government of Liberia (GOL). Today, solid waste collection and disposal is squarely a burden for the City Government of Monrovia.’
“Third, in spite of the size of our revenue envelope, the City Government has managed some of the toughest challenges through meager resources generated domestically. This does not mean that assistance by international partners is not appreciated.
“Seeking international assistance, like even the United States would, does not mean that the government and people of Liberia are relinquishing their responsibilities. If the United States, with all the supremacy, had answers to everything their external debt portfolio would be at zero.
“The City Government has designed means to mobilize domestic resources to sync with the national government’s revenue strategy. This administration is resolved that it did not come to power to make excuses, but to solve problems, whether inherited or not.
“Rallying citizens’ support around waste management within our city is a national duty and should not be misconstrued as holding foreign partners responsible for cleaning our city.
“The City Government of Monrovia welcomes constructive criticism and remains receptive to helpful recommendations from everyone, including global experts and professionals, on issues of municipal cooperation and development, especially sustainable integrated solid waste management as part of our firm commitment to inclusive local governance.
“In conclusion, it must be noted that the City Government remains highly focused in exploring solutions to efficient solid waste management and an implementable sustainability plan that abides by excellent environmental principles and innovation. This plan includes investing in the circular economy by utilizing waste as an industrial resource for long-term investment, which intervention Mayor Koijee and his team are exploring. The City Government of Monrovia strongly believes this will substantially help to address the challenges of waste management in Monrovia but also create jobs for the young people, secure livelihoods for residents of the City, improve infrastructure and manage local resources more appropriately as an integral part of shouldering our own duties and responsibilities.”