USAID, MFDP Sign US$81K Grant

The United States Agency for International Development, represented by Nathan Associates, and the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning (MFDP) through its Department of Economic Management, on Wednesday, May 12, signed a grant in the amount of US$81,000.

The grant aims to support the policy unit team at the MFDP, under the Liberia Economic Policy Dialogue Activity (LEPDA) project, which is funded by USAID.

Accordingly, the LEPDA project is intended to improve the policymaking of the government and to help reduce the cost of doing business, says Mark Wilson of implementing partner Nathan Associates.

Deputy Minister for Economic Management Augustus J. Flomo expressed delight about the in-kind grant, stating that it will support government in its policy process with the implementation of the Pro-poor Agenda for Prosperity and Development (PAPD).

“We must have the efficiency necessary to support the implementation of these policies documents, and without the appropriate tools and equipment to work with makes it difficult”.

The policy unit team supports coordination across the five departments of the ministry, by working with the minister’s office to strengthen coordination of policy implementation of government actions. 

Flomo said it is important for technicians to have the right tools in order to deliver on their mandate, adding that the policy unit team has the required competence.

He thanked the People of the United States of America for providing Liberia with the in-kind grant, which will enhance the work of the (PUT) to deliver on its mandate. “We remain grateful to the American people for providing us the in-kind grant to deliver on our mandate”.

 Mark Wilson of Nathan Associates, the USAID LEPDA implementing partners, said the grant will go towards the procurement of ICT software and hardware equipment, including computers, and to strengthen the capacity of the policy unit team.

Wilson noted that the timeline of the grant is three months, starting from May 17 to August 16, 2021.

Deputy Minister for Economic Management Augustus J. Flomo and Mark Wilson of Nathan Associates, the USAID LEPDA implementing partners, exchanged notes after the signing ceremony.