By Ibrahim A. Sherif
MONROVIA, June 3 (LINA) – The World Bank Group (WBG) has officially launched its Country Partnership Consultations aimed at soliciting a better understanding of the development context and needs of Liberia.
Speaking Friday during the official launch of the program at the World Bank Liberia Office in the Monrovia suburb of Congo Town, its Country Director for Liberia, Ghana and Sierra Leone, Dr. Henry Kerali, stated that the Bank assessment is about identifying the challenges the country is faced with and opportunities which will help them direct their resources properly.
He also revealed that the WBG has designed a Systemic Country Diagnosis (SCD) which has assisted it in formulating its Country Partnership Framework (CPF) which will be used to guide the engagement of the bank with Liberia for the next five to seven years.
In remarks at the launching ceremony, Liberia’s Minister of Finance and Development Planning, Samuel D. Tweah, lauded the World Bank for the numerous support it has provided Liberia.
He stated that the Government of President George Manneh Weah considers the World Bank as one of the most trusted partners in the drive to transform Liberia.
He indicated that he sees the launch of the CPF as an opportunity to reset, recalibrate and to recharge the relationship between Liberia and the Bank, adding, « I have absolutely no doubt that this framework of the World Bank and Partners is fully aligned with what the country is doing with its noble plan. »
The WBG consists of five organizations – The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD), International Development Bank (IDA), International Finance Corporation (IFC), Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA), and International
Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID).
The WBG comprises 189 member countries, staffs from more than 170 countries and offices in more than 130 locations around the world.
The WBG is a unique global partnership working for sustainable solutions that reduce poverty and build shared prosperity in developing countries.
Its current president is Jim Yong Kim.
LINA IAS/TSS/PTK