The Liberian Senate has voted to invite officials of key government functionaries to appear before its requisite committees to provide answers to the questionable status of the Japanese Grant to Liberia over the years.
The Japanese Grant to Liberia primarily focuses on providing financial aid for development projects, particularly in areas like healthcare, infrastructure, education, and food security, with a significant portion dedicated to rice grants through their Overseas Development Assistance (ODA) program.
It is often channeled through the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) with the aims to strengthen Liberia’s economy and improve the lives of its citizens. For instance, part of the grant was intended to support COVID-19 response efforts by providing medical supplies and assisting in cold chain management for vaccines.
However, the issue of transparency and accountability towards the management of the grant has been a major challenge, thus leading to the Senate’s attention to delve into the expenditure as part of its oversight responsibilities.
Issues of the grant was brought on the floor of Plenary during the 15th day sitting of the second session of the 55th Legislature, following the reading of a complaint by Montserrado County Senator Saah H. Joseph.
Raising his concern, the Montserrado County lawmaker maintained that there is an urgent need to dig deeper into the management of the Japanese Grant to Liberia over the years, having observed that the grant/funding has been poorly administered by past governments, dating from the President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf to President George Manneh Weah’s era to date.
As the Ministry of Foreign has been the key custodian of this grant, Grand Bassa County Senator Milton Gbezohngar Findley, who also served as a Minister of Foreign Affairs during the early circle of the immediate past Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC) led government, supported Sen. Joseph’s call for conduct findings into the administration of the grant.
“As a former foreign minister myself, I know that the issue about this grant needs an indepth report because it’s no secret that Liberia has been awarded this grant almost every year. In so doing, the Minister of Foreign Affairs should be brought here because it’s in the purview of the Minister of Foreign Affairs,” asserted the Grand Bassa County lawmaker.
Bomi County Senator Edwin Melvin Snowe regarding issues of the Japanese Grant to Liberia must be urgently looked into, as the administration of it has brought serious embarrassment to the nation and its people.
For Senator Snowe, the Ministry of Commerce and Industry must be added to the entities to be invited by the Liberian Senate, because it’s one of the key components in the management process of the grant.
“This is very serious and it’s embarrassing. For me, I think the Ministry of Commerce needs to be added. This must be expeditiously handled,” Sen. Snowe pointed out. Predicated on the debate, a motion was proffered by Montserrado County Sentor, Abraham Darius Dillon for the invitation of the Ministries of Commerce and Industry, and Foreign Affairs to appear before the Senate Committees on Foreign Affairs and Public Account next Thursday, to provide insight into the management of the Japanese Grant with these Committees then reporting back findings into the hearing to full Plenary within one week’s period.
The motion was then unanimously agreed upon through the regular “YEA” vote, hence, the President Pro-tempore of the Liberian Senate, Nyonblee immediately instructed the Senate’s Secretariat to prepare communications inviting these government functionaries for Committees’ hearing.
By Emmanuel Weedee-Conway
