Augustine Ngafuan, Finance Minister of Liberia has put in place measures to ensure transparency in all sectors of the Liberian society. This will require ministries and agencies that receive donor assistance outside the budget to make regular reports, and disclose copies of agreements between Government entities and donors to the Ministers of Finance and Planning within seven days.

Speaking at a one-day Aid Management Workshop on July 31, the Finance Minister said all money given in aid is intended for the benefit of Liberia and therefore those receiving such funds should come under appropriate scrutiny and accountability requirements. He stressed that this is all the more important in a context where a large amount of aid is outside of the government’s control, with about US$400 million coming through off-budget aid and less than US$350 million coming through the national budget.

Speaking at the Aid Management Workshop, UNDP Resident Representative Moustapha Soumare said this policy will be a key instrument in increasing national ownership of development and ensuring that external assistance is better aligned to the country’s pressing needs. He said it was also the responsibility of development partners to assist the government in compiling accurate and timely data on aid flows quarterly and annually as full communication on donor funding would allow government to know where the donors are providing project assistance.

This raises typical recipient concerns, and illustrates the need for a coordinated and international approach. Read more here.