Press Release
After a week of intensive engagement, knowledge sharing of experiences and technical ideas, the Mayor of Monrovia Jefferson T. Koijee on Friday April 27, 2017 presented a strategic action plan of the city of Monrovia at the World Bank donors’ conference.
According to a press statement issued in Monrovia, April 29, said as part of his presentation, Mayor Koijee stressed the need for more donor support towards key priorities of the city government, which include projects on youth development; solid waste value chain investment; agriculture (urban farming and horticulture); infrastructure; youth rehabilitation; slums upgrading; and solar energy amongst others.
He said, “We are a small country which has experienced fourteen years of civil conflict but we are resilient people, with a population of youthful exuberance committed to national development. We can say to you that Liberia is safer than ever before and on the path of making tremendous gains in service delivery and proper leadership with our new president Amb. George M. Weah. ”
“We have come to present to you our actions plan; a plan that gear towards making Monrovia clean, green, safe and resilient. I need to inform you that there is high unemployment of youths in Liberia many of whom are both skilled and unskilled and we are seeking all needed support to break this barrier of youth unemployment,” Koijee noted.
He said the city of Monrovia has been confronted with the issues of wayward youths who are victims of the civil war and have turned to drugs abusers which among many have caused some insecurity issues for neighborhood.
“We seek your support in building a rehabilitation center which will enable us rehabilitate, train and reintegrate them in the society,” he told the World Bank.
The youthful Mayor also met with several local Japanese authorities including potential partners and the Mayor of Nishinari Ward Minoru Yokozeki of Osaka City in Japan. Mayors Koijee and Yokozeki had a fruitful discussion with specific focus on establishing Monrovia-Osaka sister city relationship.
At the conference the name George M. Weah became the most talked about with many delegates raining praises on him for the level of leadership exhibited thus far since taking office through the popular mandate of the Liberian people.
Many of them recounted the terrible Ebola crisis Liberia faced in 2014, which affected the whole country with Monrovia receiving the worse hit. They also cited the leadership deficit that the country has suffered and appreciated President Weah for filling in that leadership gap to lead a government by the people, for the people and with the people.
The “Technical Deep Dive on Planning Safe, Inclusive and Resilient Cities” was organized in Japan by the Tokyo Development Learning Center and the World Bank to develop a deeper understanding of the holistic approach required to plan safe, inclusive and resilient cities with focus on social inclusion and safety through investing in urban services and infrastructure, engaging citizens and building trust in local authorities through participatory approaches and tools, ensuring economic inclusion through connecting lagging neighborhoods to jobs.
The one week Technical Deep Dive on planning inclusive, safe and resilient cities brought together 13 selected countries and various experts from around the world ended on Friday, April 27, 2018.
