Senate Pro Tempore, Prof. Senator Albert Chie, has assured a visiting African Development Bank (AfDB) delegation that the Liberian Senate will ensure free, fair and violence-free elections through its oversight responsibility. Pro Tempore Chie also assured the delegation of transparency and good governance, especially so when the country moves towards its critical period of presidential and legislative elections on October 10, 2023.
He told the delegation that this is evident by the passage of several anti-graft acts, including the Anti-Corruption Act, which now grants prosecutorial power to the Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission (LACC) and the passage of the Financial Intelligent Unit Act, which has elevated the FIU to a full agency, amongst others.
According to a Senate’s press release, the Senate Pro Tempore made the statement on Tuesday when the African Development Bank delegation held a meeting with the leadership of the Senate at the Capitol Building.
Speaking earlier, the head of the African Development Bank delegation, Ahmed Zayed, told the Senate that the delegation was in country to assure the government that the African Development Bank will continue its effort in road construction and the improvement in the energy sector.
The visiting delegation however told the Senate that, although the African Development Bank has the intention to do more, its financial strength cannot satisfy the entire forty-six countries in Africa, especially when the needs of the countries are so many. The delegation then encouraged domestic resource mobilization as well as reform in order to help augment the strength of the national budget, noting there cannot be a viable foreign direct investment in any country if there is no national direct investment.
Also speaking, the African Development Bank’s Country Manager, Benedict Sorie Kanu, expressed dissatisfaction over the delay by the government to ratify the Energy Food Crisis Agreement. He said, despite several reminder letters to the Minister of Finance and Development Planning, Samuel Tweah, nothing has been done to ratify the agreement, even though a grant of US$5.12 million is ready.
Meanwhile, Maryland and Grand Kru County Senators, Gbleh-bo Brown and Numene Bartekwa, are commending the African Development Bank for the level of transformation brought in the southeastern region, especially road connectivity by the African Development Bank.
