This County Development Agenda marks a major shift in the history of Liberia. Up to now, Liberia’s regional development has been a major disappointment: we never had a cohesive policy and strategy; leaders lacked vision and political will; governance and planning were highly centralized in Monrovia; and institutions were always constrained by a lack of adequate human resources.

The CDA represents an important step toward addressing these issues and achieving the sustained and inclusive national development described in the Poverty Reduction Strategy 2008-2011. The logical starting point was to have the people themselves articulating where they want the country to go, and in which areas they would like to see our limited financial and human resources focused. As you will read, a rigorous county-wide consultation exercise was undertaken in all fifteen counties between September and December 2007.  Citizens representing the various clans, towns, districts and county government, along with our partners in development, interacted to identify the pressing needs and priority action areas to achieve sustained development.

While this process represents an essential first step, the CDA is meaningless if it is not backed with concerted action. This is not just another document to be placed on the shelf; it must be seen as a living framework for accomplishing our people’s plan for accelerated growth and social development on a sustained basis.

The challenge is to ensure that the new expectations emerging from the CDA process are met in a timely and comprehensive manner. The call for a combined effort between Government, the private sector and the Citizenry could never have been louder than it is today. To fail in delivering on the expectations contained in these Agenda is not an option. Our success will depend on consistent planning and programming, prudent and honest use of resources, and perhaps most importantly, a collective will to succeed. The Liberian Government, for its part, remains committed to making the required reforms for fulfilling the people’s vision for development: attracting investment to create jobs, promoting balanced growth countrywide, and decentralizing governance.

Our sincere thanks go to all the participants in these CDA exercises: County officials, Town, Clan and Paramount Chiefs, Legislators, representatives of the Ministries and Agencies, Civil Society organizations, international and local non-governmental organizations, and private sector partners. We would also like to thank all those who assisted our team in the CDA process: the staffs of the participating Ministries and agencies, cooks, cultural troupes, and students that ensured the success of CDA vents. Finally, we thank our international partners, the UN Family, the EU, and USAID, among others who provided both financial and technical support to the entire process. Further such successful collaboration will be crucial as we move into the implementation phase of this historic and essential effort.


Toga Gayewea McIntosh, PhD
Minster of Planning and Economic Affairs