08 February 2006
U.S. Officials Cite Growing Financial Support for Liberia
Congress briefed on USAID's anti-corruption program
Washington -- The U.S. government plans to continue to support Liberia and its fledgling democracy beyond the $1 billion Americans already have given to the West African nation over the past two years, Bush administration officials told Congress February 8.
Seven years of factional fighting that destroyed most of Liberia's infrastructure, killing hundreds of thousands of its citizens, came to an end in the fall of 2005, when free and fair elections brought President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf into power. The former World Bank official has declared she will make the battle against corruption one of her main focuses in office.
Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Jendayi Frazer told the House Africa Subcommittee that continued U.S. financial support for Liberia is "a good news story" and that President Bush "intends to remain engaged with Liberia while this restored democracy finds its footing."
House Africa Subcommittee Chairman Chris Smith (Republican of New Jersey) indicated the attitude of lawmakers toward support for Liberia, saying: "If Liberia is to recover from its long nightmare, the United States will have to take the lead among the international community to assist in that restoration. That will require focus and consistency in America's engagement."
Frazer, who along with first lady Laura Bush attended Johnson-Sirleaf's recent inauguration, told lawmakers, "We have been fully committed to helping Liberia make the transition from war to peace since 2003, and we won't quit now. … Our goal is to support local efforts to [buttress] a freely elected government, a dynamic economy and the health, educational and other services that are essential to the well-being of any nation."
To that end, Frazer said, an immediate infusion of funding, amounting to $43 million, would be used to help smooth Johnson-Sirleaf's challenging political and economic reforms.
"The [Bush] administration plans to allocate nearly $43 million in fiscal year 2006 Economic Support Funds money, including some $6 million to be made available immediately for quick-impact projects, including rebuilding schools, courthouses and hospitals. Roads that connect Liberia's major cities also need to be built," she said.
U.S. Agency for International Development Assistant Administrator for Africa Lloyd Pierson told the House Africa panel that a key element of the quick $6 million infusion of cash is the innovative anti-corruption program called the Governance and Economic Management Assistance Program (GEMAP).
He told lawmakers the program was developed to fight corruption in the national government and that President Johnson-Sirleaf had accepted it enthusiastically. "It will increase the revenue available for public services and help secure the national government against the corruption and competition over resources that have proven so destabilizing in the past," he said.
Pierson, a former top official with the Peace Corps, said GEMAP will strike at the very heart of government corruption because the program involves placing comptrollers and auditors in the financial sections of government ministries to make sure public funds are spent properly. He told the panel that the program hopes to use Liberians from the diaspora as watchdogs.
In addition, he explained, part of the quick funding for GEMAP will also involve "preparations for contracting out the management, or arranging for the privatization, of a number of revenue-generating entities, such as the port, [Roberts Field] airport and forestry authority."
Pierson said he believed "the successful implementation of GEMAP and adoption of the fundamental principles of good governance and responsible financial management by President Sirleaf's administration will provide a new model of government for the Liberian people."
Echoing Frazer, Pierson concluded: "With the commitment of the new Liberian government and the ongoing support of the international community, a brighter future for the population of all West Africa is within our reach."
The prepared statements of Frazer and Pierson are available on the subcommittee’s Web site.
For more on U.S. policy in the region, see Africa.
(The Washington File is a product of the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
