"Meet me on the balcony of Mamba Point Hotel at 1pm." This was my instruction from a UK government official I was meeting for lunch last week. I must admit I felt slightly MI6 as I waited in the tropical heat trying to look inconspicuous.
While the meeting didn't involve talk of top secret business I did gain a noteworthy insight of developments in Liberia from the donor perspective. The reason which brought me to Liberia is also that which has been stimulating the significant inflow of aid into the country- the political leadership. In particular, the immense work undertaken by Finance Minister Sayeh. She has pushed forward the reform agenda across many fronts and provided a strong sense of the change which is possible.
Having spent a week working in her office her impact has been immediately apparent. In meetings with international donors or Liberian civil society she presented a compelling argument to direct the change which will revitalise the economy.
Admist this air of optimism, high level meetings and shiny strategy documents it is impossible to ignore the dearth of capacity. Beyond Ministerial level there appears to be a limited amount of skilled individuals available to take on the seemingly insurmountable challenge of achieving the well thought out high-level strategies.
With one week down and seven to go- my own initial sense of optimism is beginning to be tempered by the reality of the challenges which lie ahead.
While the meeting didn't involve talk of top secret business I did gain a noteworthy insight of developments in Liberia from the donor perspective. The reason which brought me to Liberia is also that which has been stimulating the significant inflow of aid into the country- the political leadership. In particular, the immense work undertaken by Finance Minister Sayeh. She has pushed forward the reform agenda across many fronts and provided a strong sense of the change which is possible.
Having spent a week working in her office her impact has been immediately apparent. In meetings with international donors or Liberian civil society she presented a compelling argument to direct the change which will revitalise the economy.
Admist this air of optimism, high level meetings and shiny strategy documents it is impossible to ignore the dearth of capacity. Beyond Ministerial level there appears to be a limited amount of skilled individuals available to take on the seemingly insurmountable challenge of achieving the well thought out high-level strategies.
With one week down and seven to go- my own initial sense of optimism is beginning to be tempered by the reality of the challenges which lie ahead.
1 comment:
Preya! What a wonderful blog. I am eagerly following your adventures from my desk here in Washington, and living vicariously through your MoF stint. I must admit, I feel a sense of deja vu reading your initial reactions to both Minister Sayeh's extraordinary leadership and also with the substantial shortage of capacity supporting the government. Which of course is one of the reasons I am so grateful that you and the rest of Team Liberia II were so enthusiastic about spending your summer there and infusing some energy into their work.
Please send my love to the Ministry of Finance family and to Team Liberia II. I look forward to following your adventures closely through your blog!
Fondly,
Molly
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