MINISTRY OF PLANNING AND ECONOMIC AFFAIRS
COUNTY DEVELOPMENT OFFICE
ANNUAL PERFORMANCE REPORT FOR GRAND CAPE MOUNT COUNTY
SUBMITTED BY EDMOND R. GRAY
November 20, 2009
| SES STAFF NAME: POSITION/TITLE: Edmond R. Gray, CDO-Grand Cape Mount County MINISTRY: MPEA AGENCY | NAME OF SUPERVISOR: Henrique Wilson POSITION/TITLE: Monitoring & Evaluation Coordinator REPORTING PERIOD: January – December 2009 |
| PART ONE | INTRODUCTION: This 2009 annual performance report is presented 12 months into my field deployment as CDO for Grand Cape Mount County. This report marks all activities covered by the County Development Office of Grand Cape Mount County for calendar year 2009 (January through December 2009). Significant accomplishments for the period are highlighted. Major constraints encountered that impeded the implementation of the PRS as proposed are also highlighted. This report is centered on an initial annual work plan that was designed and used for the First, Second, Third and Fourth Quarterly Reporting Periods. Based on a generic performance evaluation as required by the SES Performance Contract, an initial work plan was expanded and developed at the beginning of the third quarter. The expanded work plan which included the previous work plans along with other performance measurement indicators outlined key outcomes. There are instances in which the modified work plan quantified specific activity targets. Although certain adjustments and unforeseen accommodations were made on few performance targets within the annual work plan, key national and county specific targets that constitute the Poverty Reduction Strategy and the County Development Agenda, were all retained. This report will also take into account those county wide activities conducted by other agencies deemed significant but were not a part of the PRS, CDA, Annual Work of the CDO, LISGIS, etc. Towards the end of this report would be a portion highlighting those hard lessons learnt and recommendations that must be followed to achieve total objectives of the PRS/CDA. |
| PART TWO | PLANNED TARGETS AND OUTPUTS FOR THE YEAR The Annual Work Plan for Grand Cape Mount County envisages the following targets: 1. Identify and research policy issues and ascertain views of key stakeholders 2. Carry out mass media (radio) education on PRS/CDA 3. Participate in policy meetings. 4. Develop systems to facilitate effective oversight of the CDSC & WC. 5. Calendar of meetings to support the effective functioning of the CDSC. 6. Support County Administration to implement and report on progress of PRS/CDA deliverables. 7. Develop templates for monthly reporting for line ministries. 8. Compile line ministries monthly reports into consolidated 4 working committee/ pillar report, verify report and update excel-based PRS tracking tool. 9. Produce CDSC monthly meeting reports. 10. Review line ministries monthly/Quarterly reports 11. Ensure effective Coordination and full participation of NGOs, CSOs and other partners in sector, pillar and CDSC meetings. 12. Conduct surveys and progress assessment of projects and programs in the districts and make recommendations for improvement. 13. Supervise field monitors and ensure that they effectively collaborate with DDCs to monitor and report on PRS/CDA/CDF objectives & deliverables. 14. Facilitate the organization of quarterly stakeholder engagement with citizens across all districts in the County on quality and access to service delivery. 15. Participate in meetings at various levels in the County 16. participate in human and institutional capacity audit of the County 17. Undertake training needs assessment in consultations with county authorities 18. Facilitate the organization of training of critical staff to improve County administration, management and delivery on the PRS/CDA and facilitate team building to support county development 19. Design and introduce modern management structures and systems to support effective and efficient County administration and management of projects and programs 20. Prepare and submit capacity development and utilization reports |
| PART THREE | SUMMARY OF QUARTERLY RESULTS 1ST Quarter Within the annual work plan developed in January 2009, and given the time of deployment to the county, only two key performance targets or key results areas were targeted. (Major achievements 1: County Development Steering Committee Established & functioning; key results area 2: Independent Monitoring System established and fully functional). Within the two key achievement areas, the following key benchmarks were to be met by the end of the First Quarter of 2009. Against this backdrop, critical assumptions were set forth within the work plan as the guide for meeting set goals. a) The CDSC meetings were held for January, February and March held and minutes prepared and submitted: January and February were spent in orientation and training of CDOs. Upon deployment in early March, the CDO participated in a special introduction of officers meeting with the Minister of Planning along with his Deputy Minister for Economic Affair and Policy and the Director of Monitoring and Evaluation and others. The CDO also participated in two pillar meetings and the CDSC meeting for the Month of March. In the compilation of this report, a draft of the CDSC meeting minutes was completed by who now serves as the secretariat of the CDSC. b) Schedule of monthly coordination meetings developed agreed on and submitted to MPEA HQ; Projected action on this performance was completed within the quarter and took an advanced stage. In a 2 day training session (workshop) on PRS/CDA Monitoring and Evaluation Framework held at the Robertsport City Hall on March 18-19. Schedules for all monthly coordination meetings were reviewed and modified where needed to reflect the presence of PRS M&E structure and reporting requirements. c) Line Ministries trained on monthly quarterly reporting templates as well as reporting responsibilities within the pillar working committees (WC) and the CDSC. This performance target was achieved within the quarter. At the March 18-19, 2009 PRS/CDA M&E Framework Workshop, 30 county based line ministry representatives were introduced to the new reporting templates. Their reporting responsibilities within the pillar working committee and CDSC were also explained. The reporting templates which contain the PRS deliverables were given to the Line ministries and agencies. This became the medium through which they were required to submit reports. d) First Quarterly update of the PRS tracking tools completed at the county level and distributed among all line ministry heads. This was achievement was also a part of the performance that Line Ministries and Agencies submit reports on the basis of their PRS Deliverables. They were required to use the new reporting templates provided to them at the March 18-19 workshop. Those information from the WCs and CDSC meetings also followed the same reporting pattern. Information from the templates was loaded into the Excel-based manual tracking tool by mid April 15, 2009. In addition to the above accomplishments, the follow readiness activities were also undertaken within the First Quarter of 2009:
2. Development of annual budget and work plan for all offices of the County Development Officers. In meeting with the key expectation of the Performance Contract, CDOs were to develop an annual Work plan and Budget for the successful running of the County Development Office. CDOs jointly developed a working budget and a tentative work plan which was later modified to reflect the individual countywide realities.
Synopsis of Second Quarter Report covering April – June, 2009 PERFORMANCE TARGET FOR THE PERIOD The performance targets for each objective within the second quarter work plan were to: A) To significantly enhance the formulation and dissemination of public policy outcomes at the level of MPEA and the County by means of public awareness through town hall forums, radio talk shows on issues surrounding the PRS/CDA; to increase the number of local community and citizen awareness through community forums, town hall meetings, radio programs to attract phone-ins; number of policy meeting attended; and to reinforce a greater sense of accountability in public sector management. Although Radio Cape Mount and Radio Peso, two private entities were willing to provide airtime, the unavailability of a viable means of transport to commute between these institutions which are within distance of each other, made this goal far from being realized. However, Radio Peso which is located in Robertspot did provide reduced airtime. However, poor phone quality line due to heavy rains to some extent hampered the effort. On the issue of community/town hall forums, the unavailability of a reliable transport and fuel to take CDOs to various rural locations were two contributing issues that truncated this objective. However, the more than many attempts made to articulate this issue at workshops, private lodgings that host conferees, and sorting and video sites compensated the issue to some extent. B) Objective 2 - to significantly contribute towards the growth and development of the County. The period between April through June significantly harnessed a comprehensive leadership structure under the tutelage of the Honorable Superintendent of Grand Cape Mount County that is fully functional. It effectively coordinates and supervises the CDSC. PRS/CDA reporting format was jointly developed with UN/Civil Affairs and LISGIS. The enable regular monitoring and reporting mechanism that is fully operational. Monthly Reports on 4 pillar meetings compiled/PRS-CDA excel based tracking tool updated. Also in place is a three reporting mechanism on CDSC monthly meetings. A template for on-site mentoring and reporting of line ministries’ on PRS/CDA was developed or each line ministry. There are four individual minutes reflecting joint participation of all including CDO on various Pillars and CDSC meetings. Some survey reports were generated during the period on the outcome of our joint intervention at the county level. The results of joint CDO/LISGIS survey along with assessment on PRS/CDA have be archived. A Quarterly performance reports was also done within the period to determine the significance of field monitors. Minutes of various meetings and intervention showing CDO’s full participation have also been archived. C) To promote human resource and institutional capacity development within the County. Conducted weekly mentoring of line ministry staff, and including staff members of the Office of the Superintendent. Also conducted monthly PRS trainings for district field monitors on how to use the PRS/CDA deliverables and community monitoring template. Set up an effective organizational structures, management systems and streamlined work processes at the level of County administration. D) To reinforce a greater sense of accountability in public sector management by conducting weekly sessions on work ethics and orientation; develop weekly and quarterly goals for various county administrative staff, and redefining and re-evaluating the work scope of each county employee. 1. National Deliverable under the PRS Consistent with meeting the national deliverable expectations as contained within the PRS, the CDO of Grand Cape Mount Count witnessed the launching of a brief ceremony for the official handing over of a brand new state of the art ambulance for use by the County Health Team on life threatening situations only. The ambulance was part of the county based national deliverables. Similarly, and also with the quarter, the CDO participated in the presentation of a philanthropic donation of $1 million (One Million Dollars) to Grand Cape Mount for the renovation of the Poly Technical College in Sinje, Grand Cape Mount County. This initiative is spearheaded by Robert Sirleaf. 2. Teaming up with other Partners Within the quarter, the CDO, LISGIS, LNRC, LRRRC, UNMIL and NRC went on a series of field verification visits to monitor the implementation of the PRS. In an attempt to monitor PRS/CDA deliverable implementation, a total of 51 communities within the 4 districts and the Commonwealth were visited over a period of 6 days . At such, the office of the CDO is now the hub of the county coordination effort. 3. Regional CDO Consultations The County Development Officers of Grand Cape Mount, Gbarpolu and Bomi Counties met in a one day regional consultative session to discuss the development of the new and expanded work plan. They collectively adopted a draft work plan. Through this, each CDO individually developed quarterly and annual work plans that were tailored to the specific needs of their individual counties. ACHIEVEMENT AGAINST PERFORMANCE TARGETS FOR QUARTER a) Objective 1 - To contribute significantly to policy planning, formulation & dissemination process at the level of MPEA and the County. 1. Number of radio talk shows hosted and recorded on PRS/CDA public awareness endeavors. In the interest of creating public awareness for the PRS, a number of Policy dissemination activities were planned within the quarter. However, with the exception of new casts carried by Radios Peso and Cape Mount of two interviews hosted, lack of funding stifled further programming activities such as talk shows. 2. Number of citizen participation through phone-ins to radio talk show. At a workshop sponsored by Habitat for Humanity held in Sinje, Grand Cape Mount County, we managed to squeeze in a brief introductory program introducing the PRS at the local level. However, the response obtained showed that the PRS remains low and strange to most of the local population. Citizens have yet to understand the correlation between local community developments and the PRS/CDA. The many positive feedbacks from participants who wanted to hear more about the PRS further tells how much people wanted to know and identified with their local development initiatives. Most of the participants requested a copy of the CDA. 3. Number of policy meetings attended. During the quarter, the CDO of Grand Cape Mount County participated in policy planning and formulation meetings on ways to foster national reconstruct. The CDO participated in a two day regional workshop on the validation of draft policy on decentralization and local governance hosted by the Governance Commission. There were other representatives from the county (Grand Cape Mount) including the CDO. Gbarpolu, Margibi Bomi and Montserrado Counties also participated in the meeting. The workshop was held in Tubmanburg from May 29 – 30, 2009. b) Objective 2 - To facilitate the growth and development of the County Management mechanism for CDSC coordination and supervision in place. Improved processes for managing the CDSC were introduced during the period under review. These included: the regular and timely distribution of citations to all stakeholders, and the distribution of previous minutes prior to the CDSC meeting. The discussion of action points from the previous meeting to gauge progress being made on issues arising that required action became a major feature of the CDSC meetings held during the quarter. The CDO assisted the Chair of the CDSC to develop appropriate communications to the Minister of Internal Affairs, Land and Mines for the sale of abandoned logs, IBIS for the construction of the Medina/Robertsport high way. Other communications written went to ODAFARA, UNDP, and UNICEF. PRS/CDA reporting format developed, regular monitoring and reporting system in place and functional. Monitoring of the PRS/CDA Deliverables was conducted in various communities within the 4 districts and Commonwealth of Grand Cape Mount County. The monitoring covered mostly two pillar areas, basic infrastructure and basic developments, and Economic Revitalization and Infrastructure and Basic Social Services. During the period FDA reported constructing ovens to help fish vendors dry their fish. This pilot project is known as the Eco-stove project. Monthly Reports on 4 pillar meetings compiled/PRS-CDA excel based tracking tool updated. During the quarter all 4 pillar meetings were held regularly, i.e. Security, Governance & Rule of Law and Economic Revitalization. Other committee meetings for WATSAN, Road Task Force, Joint Security Task Force, were also held. The county education team also met regularly and led the way in properly administering the national exams. However, the sector or Mining have never met and continues to pose problem for the Economic Revitalization Pillar. A quarterly update to the extent possible was in progress as of the time of the preparation of this report and should be completed by end of July 2009. Reports on the CDSC meetings were compiled and disseminated. On-site mentoring of line ministries’ on PRS/CDA reporting template. Following the training of the Line Ministry in March on the PRS/CDA and the introduction of the new PRS/CDA reporting template, onsite mentoring on the proper usage of the template was an ongoing activity during the quarter. This is to help line ministry staff in charge of reporting to better under the template and import the level of information required. This mentoring is beginning to improve the quality of reporting but this is far from being satisfactory. Two Joint sessions on a much simplified reporting template were sponsored by the CDO and UNDP were held for line ministry staff members. Minutes showing full participation of partners in Pillars/CDSC meetings. The levels of participation of partners in the CDSC meeting continued to improve during the quarter. And as the UN hands over cardinal responsibilities to Liberians, their level of participation continues to be minimal. The lack of logistics continues to make UNMIL relevant. As the result, Civil Affairs, Human Rights, Corrections Advisory Unit, MILOBS through NIBATT 20, UNPOL are still part of the process. INGOs participation in the CDSC continues to be minimal. So far, only LRRRC and NRC were regular at all meetings. Efforts have been made to induce the full participation of those NGOs registered to do business in the county. 3rd Quarter Report 1. The period marking July to September was mainly marred by a season change from dry to wet. Focus had been shifted from field activities that covered mostly monitoring of project deliverables to in house audits of hospitals, schools, and the status of projects that fell within the dry season category of the PRS/CDA. A key focus included Capacity audit report; Report on critical training needs of the County; Report on feedback from citizens in districts on quality and access of service delivery; Significant improvement in policy (PRS/CDA) report writing particularly at the County level, Effective organizational structures, management systems and streamlined work processes at the county level were the most focused areas a) Report on surveys and results of project/program Assessment: During the quarter, at the request of the Superintendent, the CDO office set up a monitoring mechanism for the running of city power in Robertsport. The team set up to monitor the use of the city generator includes M&E Assistant, LISGIS, the CDO and other energy experts. In light of this, a general assessment to determine the usage load on the city generator was conducted. Other assessments done included the health facilities and schools. The assessment was carried out by the district monitors and a report was compiled and submitted to the Superintendent, the Assistant Superintendent for Development. b) Report on feedback from citizens in districts on quality and access of service delivery: Based on assessment report on citizen feedback conducted with major business corridors and concession areas, the CDO and all parties concerned held series of follow up visits to ensure compliance. This field verification was conducted with the assistance of the district monitors and the County Planner. Findings from the verification provided the basis for intervention in select communities in Robertsport, Sinje, and other surrounding townships. However, this interactive process was once more hampered by the lack of transportation. c) Effective organizational structures, management systems and streamlined work processes at the level of County administration. Telephone Directory-a county based telephone directory was compiled and completed during the period under review. The county-based directory lists all names, contact numbers and email addresses of county-based government line ministries and agencies, UN agencies, INGOs NGOs, other local authorities and related development actors at the county level. Due to no resources to cover printing, only soft copies were distributed via email to interested parties. The purpose of the directory is to facilitate communication between all actors in and out of the county in order to enhance coordination and implementation. d) Quarterly performance reports on field monitors. Directly supervised by the Monitoring and Evaluation Assistant, the performance report of the field monitors cover social protection monitoring and the PRS/CDA Deliverables Community based monitoring. Training of the monitors for PRS/CDA monitoring occurred in May 7-8. There was a refresher training conducted within the quarter on the use of community based infrastructure. In addition, performance report on the field monitors was submitted by the Monitoring and Evaluation Assistant by July 15 2009. e) Significant improvement in policy (PRS/CDA) report writing particularly at the County level, Effective organizational structures, management systems and streamlined work processes at the county level. Even though the reporting format did not change, forms were modified to accommodate those line ministry officials who were slow to catch up. Today Grand Cape Mount can account for a uniform but simplified reporting pattern. Also initial leadership and secretariat structures were rearranged to reflect accuracy. For instance, some of the line ministries chosen initially to serve as pillar heads were appropriate to serve elsewhere other than their initial designation. The head of the Basic Infrastructure changed to Public Works, while WATSAN changed to Health. This readjustment of pillar heads reinforced the accuracy of the Pillars and Working Committees. These policy changes were also reflective within the field monitoring sector. f) Important County Matters in which the CDO participated also included: Various development meetings on ventures that are not covered under the PRS/CDA such as the construction of the Madina/Robertsport highway and other primary roads and bridges, the introduction of a short term venture by ODAFARA an NGO engaging in the empowerment of medium and individual businesses. The ODAFARA venture was discussed at the CDSC level since its presence was particularly threatening to NRC’s initiatives. It was determined that since ODAFARA’s efforts was only short term and specific, it could coexist with other counterparts including NRC. The CDO also at the request of the Superintendent participated in a meeting with representative of the Ahmadiya Islamic group on the setting up of a life stock farming, a mission school system that matches national academic calendar and curriculum, clinic, etc to benefit our local population. The points highlighted in the meeting were compiled and archived as future reference. It should be noted also that clearing of the site on which a sports academy is to be constructed has commenced. The CDO also participated in the meeting in the Superintendent’s office with concessioners and investors who have been approved to do business in the county. The CDO acted on an action point from the meeting which resulted in the organization of a rapid field assessment of threats to our environment such as coal burning and the illegal felling of trees by local citizens. During the period, several private individuals visited the county to assess means to invest. As the bidding for the Western Cluster is set to take place, those companies that have been listed to participate in the process was part of the assessment visitation. g) CDSC and Pillar Meetings within the period under review. The scaling down of UN activities is reflective in the working committees of the county. The change of season from dry to wet also impeded the significant improvements made in getting line ministry officials to attend meetings. Almost all sector of government provided adequate transportation and office facilities for their line ministries. Only two CDSC and two pillar meetings were held within the period. The failure of MPEA to support its staff members with transportation and office facilities, communication, and others largely weakened the momentum of the process. CDO had no means to link with line ministry officials. 2. To promote human resource and institutional capacity development and utilization in the County. Conduct monthly trainings for district field monitors on PRS and use of PRS/CDA deliverables community monitoring template. During the quarter under review, two workshops lasting the period of 2 days each were held for 15 District Monitors. The introduction of the PRS/CDA community based reporting template and its usage at the community level was the main focus of the training. A field simulation on the use of the monitoring template with emphasis on the template for monitoring WATSAN intervention was carried out in Robertsport. In the second workshop, the 5 monitoring forms were reviewed based on the actual field usage in the district. Feedback from the monitors on the usage of the forms included omissions that were suggested for incorporation into the forms. Detailed workshop reports were prepared. During the quarter, the CDO participated in the process of staff audit conducted by the Ministry of Internal Affairs/Office of the Superintendent. The purpose of the staff audit is to streamline the payroll of the local government in Grand Cape Mount County and to make the names consistent with the payroll listing at the central offices of the Ministry of Internal Affairs; regularize the name of existing employees and eliminate ghost names. Forms were filled in and photos attached to update the manual database. 3. Cabinet Retreat The CDO during the year in review participated in a Cabinet retreat intended to draw a new 90 days deliverables that is currently ongoing. The CDO served as secretariat to the Governance and Rule of Law Pillar. IGNORED ISSUES & REASONS FOR NOT ACHIEVING THEM 1. Update of the PRS/CDS Excel Based Tracking Tools The monthly update of the PRS/CDA excel based tracking tool based on field verification of progress on PRS/CDA deliverables have been difficult to complete during the period under during the quarter due to two reasons: a) The development of the PRS/CDA community based monitoring template and the training of the district based monitors on the understanding and use of the templates took place during the first 2 months of the quarter. During the quarter, the field monitoring and verification of progress on deliverables as reported by line ministries and agencies was limited due to limited transportation. Access to a vehicle was limited and made possible by an NGO during the entire quarter for the purpose of monitoring. The Government of Liberia has failed to take ownership of facilitating the monitoring and evaluation process by not providing assigned transportation as mentioned in the performance contract. 4th Quarter-however takes a different dimension. It focuses greater attention on the outcome of implementation of the PRS. During the reporting period, the CDO strengthened the effort of the Joint Security Taskforce. The County Joint Security Taskforce has agreed to hold weekly security meetings. A security operational plan was developed jointly by the CDO, LNP, BIN, UNPOL, etc. It is agreed to restructure the District Joint Security Task Force and ensure effective reporting which will include monitoring of benchmarks in the security pillar. During the reporting period county elders constitute themselves to address the conflict between the legislative caucus and the Superintendent on one hand and between the Superintendent and concerned citizens who have petitioned for the removal of the Superintendent. The advocacy for the removal of the Superintendent only heightened the problem. The issue is not the removal of one personality or another. Local citizens need to learn to handle their problem through dialogues. Though some successes were yielded, yet the reconciliation gains have been undermined by serious political maneuvers and there exist a fragile relationship between some members of the caucus and the superintendent and between the superintendent and the people especially those of Robertsport. The Peace and Reconciliation Committee has been formed in Gola Konneh District and the executive has met with clan citizens in LAAR, MANA and DARBLO. There continued to be latent land disputes in Gola Konneh Districts which needs to be addressed. The inability to mitigate some of these issues lies the lack of support to the CDOs office. It can be noted that the issue of conflict resolution is one of the cardinal issues highlighted within the annual Work Plan. Consistent with the CDF/CDA, the CDO verified the completion of the following key deliverables: Both committees and county officials have identified the completion of the five community projects including construction of Sinje District Completion, completion of the renovation of the Gola Konneh District Compound, completion of the construction of the District Compound in Porkpa, Completion of the rehabilitation of the District compound and hall in Tieni and the Tallah Township multipurpose hall. A transparent bidding process was conducted and won by three local NGOs – Fahnbulleh and Fahnbulleh, ADEN and LOCEF. However there was a diversion made of a road project to TWP of Tallah that was also completed and in use. These include the rehabilitation of the City Hall which was completed by General Service Agency; USAID through IRG is funding the implementation of the solar project which is completed or near completion. The GOL is also funding the Robertsport Electrification Project using the 65KVA generator provided by the National Association of Cape Mountaineers in the Americas to GOL through the Ministry of Lands Mines and Energy. However, on completion of the project only few areas and government entities would benefit. A 400 KVA is needed for the entire electrification of Robertsport. These target areas form a composite part of the CDO’s future work plan for 2010 and beyond. There is an increase in the number of qualified county officials recruited including a personnel analyst, executive secretary, county engineer, county interpreter and a county accountant which creates additional mentoring workload for the office of the County Development Officer. The MIA Deputy Minister for Administration headed a team and conducted a personnel verification exercise to ensure that only active workers remain on government payroll. However, close monitoring of payroll by the CDO; M&E and LISGIS pointed out inconsistencies especially within the Health Sector that needs to be further addressed. Such verification is ongoing. During the period under review, the CDO participated in a joint FDA/MIA meeting on the issue of smuggling of forestry products to neighboring countries. Local authorities have requested for greater education on the forestry law to enable the adequately address the illegal pit-sawing exercise. This will be highly captured on the recommendation section of this report. The inter-ministerial committee on scrape metals awarded the contract for the removal of scrapes from the former NOIC site has been awarded to ORBITAL. However, Evergreen Trading Company and Green Pastures are also removing scrapes in the area. This is providing temporal employment to many youth in the area. However, proper medical attention is not given to workers mining scrape and children are reported of engaging in process instead of going to school. The CDO of Grand Cape Mount County requested to meet with those concerned with this activity to no avail. The lack of support to the CDO to address some of these issues defeated the purpose. These issues need to be further looked into. For instance, African Aura Resources, Mano River Resources, KPS Mining Company, Texas International Mining Group are all mining Gold in Tewor and Gola Konneh District. Illegal mining is carried out in Porkpa and Gola Konneh Districts. Mining Agents lack the ability to monitor such areas without mobility. This issue came up during a joint meeting attended by the CDO, UN and LISGIS within the reporting period. The Concession for extraction of minerals in the western cluster is remarkable situation for the county. This investment will help to minimize unemployment in the region and ignite economic activities as highlighted in the Economic and Revitalization Pillar Meeting held on November 4, 2009 chaired by the CDO. On the issue of Justice, the status of the magisterial courts in the county remains the same though there is a slight improvement in the number of cases handled. Gola Konneh, Tewor and Garwula Magisterial Courts require more active stipendiary Magistrates. Recently, the death of Alfred Bonner has created a vacuum within the District of Garwula. The first is operated by a aged Magistrate in the absence of any Associate, the second is operated solely by the Associates and the last is periodically non functional. Allowances for Jurors have been increased; this has increase the morale and participation of jurors. However, the lack of transportation makes it difficult to convey witnesses and complainants thereby delaying trial and administration of justice. Of the many cases in the docket, three cases of aggravated assault, illegal possession of marijuana and rape were tried and judgments passed. However, there still exist noted compromises on prima facie evidence needed to convict offenders. The court is fully functional with a resident judge, a defense and prosecution attorneys along with UNMIL Legal Affairs. There continue to be a number of prisoners held in incarceration without trial. Most of these prisoners have the right to bail. However, family members have not been adequately educated on their rights to provide bond for family members. The cases flow management team headed by the County Attorney has filed a motion for the release of most of these prisoners under such category. This issue was captured in the last Governance and Rule of Law meeting held on November 9, 2009 attended by the CDO. Additional correction officers trained by UNMIL were deployed to Robertsport temporal prisons and have completed in-service training. The need for the construction of a correction facility was underscored. The CDO however conducted inspection of ongoing renovation of the correction facility in Robertspot near completion. The multi complex correction facilities to be constructed outside of Robertspot are underway. It was indicated lastly that authorities are working modalities to have the apportioned land deeded. It was observed by the CDO that court officials continue to bend the rules as suspects are being let out of detention without valid bonds. Issues regarding child labor are occurring in Congo Mano Rivers and other parts of the county as children below 18 years are encouraged to mine scrapes and sell to ORBITAL, Evergreen and Green Pastures. The District Commissioner of Porkpa has been further advised to put an immediate stop to the practice. UNMIL Human Rights reported that despite the official session of schools, children of school ages continue to be seen in the street during school hours. This issue and the setting up of a task force to address is largely addressed in the recommendation section of this report. On the issue of Economic Revitalization, there are limited employment opportunities available in the county. The unemployment rate is high. Most of the people are self employed and mainly subsistence farmers. A sizeable number of the population of Robertsport and its environs are fishermen or engaged in the fishing trade for livelihood. Support to the fishing industry has been limited. Many unemployed youth are found in mining areas engaged in artisanal mining. Mining Companies have recruited limited number of employees. With the Concession for iron ore mining pending or granted, there is high potential for the creation of employment of skilled, semi-skilled and unskilled labors. Large business are difficult to come by as most business people conduct sole proprietorship businesses with limited or no source of loan facilities to expand. However, the presence of ODAFARA has largely facilitated medium scale businesses to expand. Several small scale sewing and other forms of business were empowered. Expansion in the agriculture sector especially fishing and also investment in agro – processing industries and adopting communal farming or cooperative farming and societies would create job opportunities. NGOs recruitment is low as most youth do not posses the requisite qualification or skills. The lack of skills training facilities ward off youths from competitive jobs. The USAID Road Construction project created temporal employment for citizens of the county. |
| PART FOUR | STATEMENT OF ANNUAL CONSOLIDATED ACHIEVEMENTS: Adequate transportation for execution of key functions remains the problem during the year. The CDO office was only able to access transportation for field work for a total of 6 days during the entire year mainly on the generosity of NRC. The CDO during the year utilized makeshift and very strenuous means to undertake key tasks. The use of public and privately owned transportation to attend sectors/pillars meetings was the norm during the quarter. Under extreme weather conditions, administrative tasks were performed at distant commuting locations. A number of these locations extend beyond city limits. The second quarter and subsequent quarters shed sufficient light and a much improved relationships on the implementation and delivery of task at the county level. The role of the CDO became much clearer to all implementing partners. The added values and capacity building incentives that the office of the CDO brings to the development process is highly appreciated by those benefiting out of the process. This situation brought about closer ties and has made information sharing and coordination interesting. The obvious challenges that continue to limit efficiency in implementation and hence limiting the desired results as planned are gradually being overcome. It is hoped that the recommendations for performance improvement will be noted and speedily acted upon so that the same work constraints encountered in year one that limited planned implementation are not experienced in the coming year. The quality of work and coupled with the introduction of professional work conducts were qualities that contributed to the county leading the ways of the national development strategy. |
| PART FIVE | STATEMENT ON OUTSTANDING ACTIVIITIES FOR THE YEAR INCLUDING MEASURES TAKEN TO REALIZE OUTSTANDING QUARTERLY ACTIVITIES. The issues of health and education continue to claim the attention of the CDO. Because of this, interest was taken on the delivery of health and education. Few of these projects were captured in picture. However, currently, there are 33 health facilities including 01 hospital, 01 health post, 01 health center and 30 clinics of which 32 are functional except Zaway clinic in Garwula. Of these facilities 08 is run by the County Health Team (CHT), 09 by African Humanitarian Agency, 10 by International Medical Corps (IMC) 05 by Medical Teams International (IMC) and 01 by Guthrie Management. This indicates that over 70% of the health facilities are still run by INGOs. A public aware campaign was facilitated under the tutelage of the CDO on communicable diseases. More needs to be done The human resource capacity of the sector shows that there is 1 Physician, 13 Physician Assistants, 27 Registered Nurses, 11 Licensed Practical Nurses in training or trained, 1 Nurse Anesthetist, 30 certified midwives, 34 Nursing Aids, 34 Dispensers, 22 Vaccinators and 02 Laboratory Technicians. However, additional manpower is required especially for midwives, Physicians, Physician Assistants, dispensers and Nurses. The CDO also teamed up with the NRC and the County Education Heads to ensure the following: increased presence within the County. The entire education sector personnel lack logistics to enable them discharge effective and efficient monitoring and supervision of schools. The recent provision of vehicle and bikes to DEOs has largely capacitated that sector. The shortage of qualified teachers especially for Junior and Senior High schools persist, insufficient learning and teaching materials, lack of libraries and science laboratories are affecting students performance. There is lack of science teachers in the senior high school in Robertsport. A recent assessment based on recommendation from the CDO saw some improvements in the area. All unlicensed teaching assistants were dropped while others recommended for additional capacitating. The stealing of school feeds by school officials stopped well before it was ended. This was due to reinforced monitoring by field monitors under the supervision of the CDO. NRC reported of low attendance in schools after the conduct of the census. Mobilizing teams have been set up by NRC to mobilize student to go to school. In Bambalah, |
| PART SIX | STATEMENT OF ENABLING FACTORS: Key constructs and processes for following the annual work plan took the following format---On deployment, the CDO conducted a situation analysis; and later evolved a general objectives and strategies that staff members especially those within the County administration to follow regarding decision making. At the training of line ministries, the emphasis was made on what is good at and what it is not. Those tools needed to implement the PRS became the norm of the workplace. Additional stress was placed on who the customers are and what unique benefits it provides to those customers. Only then the county can come to grips with the fundamental question of what and where does it want to be in the future? This vision created by the CDO shapes operational goals as enshrined in the PRS, including key focuses the county can concentrate the CDF on. In addition to this, the provision of Internet Connectivity towards the end of the quarter two was a huge factor that facilitated outcome. Internet connectivity was provided by NRC for use by the CDO. This important piece of equipment has somehow addressed a key condition of timely dissemination of information. With this in place, the response time to key information dissemination between partners to the PRS and the CDOs via the internet is greatly improved. This also decreased the number of trips and request made to use UNMIL’s facilities to access internet based information. The CELLCOM GRPS modem has also made web posting and updating possible. Support of Local County Authorities was one of the main reasons for success during the year is the quality of cooperation between the office of the CDO and that of the County Administration. The county administration provided a slightly furnished office space, electricity for use by the CDO and M&E Assistant. Back-up Support by UNMIL - Civil Affairs & UN CST-Unlike the previous quarter, the CDO’s access to the UNMIL-Civil Affair office facilities continues to narrow down. This critical back-up remained absolutely an important contributing factor to the enabling work environment of the County Development Office, without which it remains extremely difficult to work given the task demand. The UN Counterparts have been very cooperative and helpful providing logistical back-up support only where possible. |
| PART SEVEN | STATEMENT ON DISENABLING FACTORS AND MAJOR CHALLENGES DURING THE YEAR: Experts now agree that strategic management is an ongoing process. At its inception, the centerpiece of county planning lies in the CDA as reflected in the work plan. Confidence in data-rich economic forecasts encouraged use of a three year time of the PRS. This is enough time to meet the ambitions of the day to expand and diversify. Subsequent unanticipated events---the lack of logistics and others showed how uncertain the long term could be. Because of this, it is highly probable that an annual work plan may not be adequate but needed to prioritize the various deliverables within the PRS/CDA. |
| PART EIGHT | STRATEGY FOR ADDRESSING CHALLENGES: Strategic management which is required in the running of public sector management is fluently used in the running of the County Development Office. A number of other steps were followed to induce the cooperation of line ministry officials. The conduction of a situation analysis and coupled with the objective and strategy as articulated by the CDO were some of the enabling factors. However, the use of knowledge management, to process situations, and organizational design, to leverage outcomes using technology also formed a part of the strategies used. External factors, like inter agency alliances with LISGIS, the UN and others, also enter the mix. Leaders who periodically think "outside the box" are better at spotting emerging circumstances and unexpected situations. Putting a system in place to monitor the subsequent effectiveness of the chosen strategy requires collaboration from all. |
| PART NINE | LESSON LEARNED: LESSONS LEARNED INCLUDING BEST PRACTICES Inter-office collaboration between the CDO office and that of the Superintendent was much stronger during the period. This was indicative of the increased levels of meetings and consultations on issues surrounding the CDSC. This collaboration resulted into a collaborative atmosphere. Coordination and the free flow of information between government actors and other development related partners remains a serious challenge to date. It is healthy to encourage a free flow of dialogue between Line Ministry officials, agencies and others to enhance the implementation process of the PRS. Consultation with other CDOs to share related lessons on task implementation and other approaches to address the issue on how line ministries and agencies report provided a good basis for the exchange of ideas. This has facilitated a sort of regional common services corridor of ideas on how to handle related situations. |
| PART TEN | RECOMMENDATIONS: RECOMMENDATIONS FOR PERFORMANCE IMPROVEMENT Performance improvement within the context of the developments occurring during the period under review can be placed into the following categories: a) Improve Logistics for timely Coordination and Monitoring The timely monitoring of progress on Deliverables at the county level and proper reporting remains an important factor on task delivery. A sustained level of engagement must be the case with the county based line ministries and agencies staff to fast track their understanding and proper usage of the reporting templates. This cannot be efficiently carried out if the problems of mobility and communication are over looked. Besides, the aspect of the Performance Contract entered into between the CDO and the SES of the Civil Service Agency, spelled in Annex C must be implemented. b) Approval of Work Plan & Dissemination As reflective, the new and expanded work plan for 2010 enlarges the scope of the work of the CDO beyond those described in the Aid Memoire that was distributed to the local county authorities (Superintendent and Assistant Superintendent for Development). As the scope of work for the CDO as described in the Aid Memoire falls only in Objective 2 of the old work plan, there is a need for the Ministry of Planning & Economic Affairs and the Civil Service Agency/SES to officially share the approved version of the CDO work plan with county authorities and inform them of the other tasks, and or functions in the work plan to be implemented by the CDO at the county level for the incoming year. This will avoid a situation of misunderstanding as to the functions of the CDO given the current limited understanding on the basis of the Aid Memoire. There is also a need to raise the pay incentives of CDOs given the realities that they now reside in remote locations away from the rest of their immediate families. It is also important to mention that other key incentives that the SES provides to other personnel within the program, i.e. adequate gasoline/diesel, scratch cards, etc must be regularized as other line ministries are providing their staff. Lastly, to boost the effectiveness in the implementation of the PRS/CDA, those functionaries like the CDO, LISGIS should be directly placed under the Civil Service Agency. A) On the PRS itself, within the SECURITY Sector the number of crimes reported to LNP is increasing compared to previous years. This might be attributed to the number of people relocating to the county. The number of domestic violence and violence towards women and children especially in the county is unusually high. Although the number of girls registered within functional public and private schools has increased, getting parents and guardians to send their children to school remains a challenged. More needs to be done to compel parents and others to send their school age children to school. Under the PRS, the county benefitted enormously on new classrooms constructed. But the number of pupils per school is relatively low. At some schools, classrooms are vacant while others are populated. Some of the reasons for the low student population might be attributed to culture. This region of Liberia is largely Islamic and parents prefer sending their children to learn the Quran than going through functional literacy programs. A decrease in education is a national security threat that should be addressed now. On the issue of crime, a joint security team put together with the advice of the CDO, UN, and the County Superintendent is yielding result. Though the number of petty theft crime reported to the LNP rose sharply, it is still at a decrease level compared to other counties within the Western Region. Most of the crimes committed in Robertsport and elsewhere within the county are allegedly ascribed to fishermen from Monrovia or elsewhere. Despite, the reported increase in population in Congo Mano River, Police presence is yet to be felt. Most crimes committed are unreported hence lack of law enforcement. RPAL has been warned not to use motor bikes to execute payment as this is a risk.
The strength of immigration officers in the county is still low and lacks the necessary logistics (radios, uniforms, stationeries, motor bikes or vehicles etc) to execute such challenging task. It is recommended that · The strength of immigration personnel should be increased to 83 to ensure effective deployment throughout the border especially to increase strength in York Island in Tewor District, Borbor and Gangama in Porkpa District and deploy officers to Congo Mano and Kawellahun, in Porkpa Districts, Keita and Varguay in Gola District. · A new County structure to house BIN, Customs and other offices and accommodation is near completion but needs to be furnished. · National Bureau of Investigation HQ should deploy additional personnel to ensure adequate coverage of the entire county and provide communication gadgets, mobility and office space in Robertsport. · County Attorney should ensure the restructuring of the Districts Joint Security Task Forces need to adopt the standing operational procedures developed by the CDO. B) On the issue of Governance and Rule of Law, The appointment of qualified county officials by MIA is a positive stride towards enhancing the County Administration to take over full responsibilities in service delivery to the local population. The Line Ministry officials have cautioned the County Officials that the utilization of the funds should not be centralized to one ministry but should be diversified to include the funding of projects from other line ministries. l The Line Ministries also noted the need for regular cabinet meetings to be initiated by the Superintendent outside of the CDSC. l The structure housing the labor office is completely renovated but. It is recommended for the Ministry of Labor HQ capacitates the staff and office. The single motor bike used by the commissioner or head in Cape Mount should be replaced with a 4x4 jeep and other logistics. l Challenges in terms of coordination persist but with the strengthening of the pillars this has significantly improved through the intervention of the CDO, M&E Structure, and LISGIS. However, the need for the construction of a ministerial building to house all line ministries cannot be over-emphasized. l Also, the separation of the circuit Court from the administrative building is significant to give more space to county administration staff and create some level of physical separation and independence of the Judiciary. l Government should endeavor to design mechanism to allow government workers take their pay at the door step of their work place or introduce banking system of payment were banks exist that would enable principals to collect monies and pay same to their teachers under the supervision of the District Education Officer. l The issue of illegal pit-sawing has negative impact on locals as most of the trucks have contributed immensely to the destruction of the roads and bridges and the local communities benefiting nothing from the exercise. FDA should ensure that a written consensus from the local authorities has been given to a potential pit-sawyer before granting waybill to saw and collect timber from any county. l Government of Liberia to be lobbied to ensure the participation of local authorities in the negotiation of concession agreements. l Government to encourage Companies to recruit Liberians and to undertake development programs in their area of operations. l Even though the FDA has deployed personnel to Cape Mount, a shift to monitor illegal pit-sawing in Gola Konneh and Porkpa Districts should be a priority. l EPA has a low presence in Cape Mount though regionally based in Bomi County. The use of Lake Peso as public toilet is a tangible reason why the presence of the EPA must be strengthened. l Government should widely publicize the reform mineral policy and ensure the inclusion of local authority in the overall management of natural resources. There is unusually large presence of illicit mining activities going on within the county. Precious gems continue to fall in the hands of illicit miners. There is the need for a mining task force.
l The Porkpa District Magistrate should be encouraged to deploy to Bambalah as community has agreed to provide a house for on rental basis and the Town hall to be used for court sitting free of charge. - The construction of magisterial courts in Madina, Bamballa, Tieni and Lofa Bridge should be prioritized. - Proactive stipendiary magistrates should be recruited. - GOL and partners should provide funds for the renovation of the prisons facility in Robertsport. Land has been provided for the construction of a new state of the art prison facilities in the Torso upper Tombey community outside of Robertspot - Civil Affairs and County Attorney to continue to follow up and ensure deployment of LNP and Magistrate to Bambalah. l The Human Rights Officer and the County Health Officer should continue their efforts to ensure that justice is dispensed. UN Human Rights Commission and the MOGD must continue their current pace in protecting the rights of detainees, women and children. - On Economic Revitalization, Government and donors should continue to support public works to carry out construction or rehabilitation of roads and bridges and encouraging investors to expand their mining activities and ensure recruitment of Liberians. - GOL and Donors should establish appropriate skills training centers and encourage youth to be educated to be able to compete for jobs. The efforts of NRC, ODAFARA, Youth Ambassadors should be ongoing. - Encourage youth in agriculture to see the sector as a business. - Encourage expansion of Agriculture such as supporting expansion of tree crops or cash crops such as oil palm, rubber, cocoa and coffee farms to provide temporal jobs. - Ministry of Labor in collaboration with the Civil Service Agency should be encouraged to develop a bio database of all unemployed Liberians in the County. Lack of office space and inadequate staff are key challenges to enhance the capacity of the field staff. The County Superintendent should continue the path of land advocacy with local communities for construction of office facilities as a matter of urgent priority to enable the construction of the sector facilities. The issue of Agriculture is huge for the growth of any population and community. This increase in agricultural activities in year under review is evident that progress is being made. However, the late arrival of seeds and tools are factors that should be addressed. The engagement of youth in meaningful agricultural activities must be encouraged. - FAO and Ministry of Agriculture to focus on Youth and Women Groups engagement in developing seed multiplication sites at clan and district levels. - FAO and MOA to engage women groups in community gardening. - GOL and partners should encourage the construction of post harvest facilities such as stores and drying floors. - GOL / MOA to introduce mechanized agriculture. - FAO to consider providing vegetable seeds for the implementation of the women groups agricultural projects and support youth in Agriculture initiatives. - FAO to consider providing inputs to local fishermen such as fishing nets and out board machines to enable Liberians compete with other nationalities in the fishing industry. - MOA / FAO should ensure that only farmers who met with their obligations should be supported in the coming season. On the issue of Revenue generation, government continues to lose out on important revenue maters. To stop this, Ministry of Finance should increase the number of Collectors, and ensure provision of mobility, rehabilitation of County Revenue Office and office logistics. Senior Collector to convene a Revenue Collection Task Force meeting to undertake an assessment to determine the various taxes applicable in the County and create a tax payer database. Future appointed Development Superintendent should call a meeting of all stakeholders to ensure that all fishermen collaborate with Customs Officials in the execution of their duties. On the issue of Basic Social Services and Infrastructure Rehabilitation, significant progress is underscored by the sector in terms of coordinating health issues in the County with partners. Although, some level of medical assistance is given to patients, the non rehabilitation of some of the health facilities and health facilities, and including the construction of the County Drug Depot as stipulated under the National PRS deliverable away from the local population in the interior of the county particularly Gola Konneh and Porkpa Districts, inadequate ambulance services, limited number of trained and qualified medical staff in the clinics and the Hospital, poor conditions of service for health workers working in remote areas, lack of accommodation for staff and inadequate and limited supply of drugs constitute major challenges. The lack of an exit strategy poses a serious challenge for smooth transition of health facilities from NGOs to Government. The need for the implementation or passing of a National Health Policy is recommended. Any attempt for NGOs to relinquish the Clinics would create serious gaps and affects vulnerable returning citizens and IDPs. Government to consider the rehabilitation of clinics, upgrading of District Headquarters clinics to health center facilities, recruit and deploy more staff, increase the quantity of drugs supplied, construct more clinics especially at remote areas, rehabilitate roads leading to health facilities to increase accessibility and ensure placement and regularization of staff on Government Payroll. The establishment of nursing school in Robertsport was underscored during the CDA consultations in Robertsport and needs to be prioritized. On the issue of WATSAN, nearly 1/3 of the well / hand pumps constructed dried up or are inoperable. This is due to the fact that construction works were executed during the rainy season. Besides, protection methods should be adopted to prevent the stealing of hand pumps. With the increase in the population of several communities, the need for increased funding for WATSAN is strongly underscored. There is also the need to increase the depth of well through the use of telescoping. Also the Ministry of Public Works make good on the provision of Hand pumps. However, the politicization of this issue is prevent that portion of the PRS to be materialized. GOL and Donors should support increase in accessibility to safe drinking water to 55 % by funding the erection of new hand pumps and chlorination of wells. - Hygiene Promotion in schools and communities should be intensified. - UNICEF and GOL to support construction of institutional WATSAN facilities. - Ministry of Health, MPW and UNICEF to ensure effective coordination of WATSAN intervention in the County.MPW should ensure that the Resident Engineer is provided with an office space and deployed in Robertsport to enhance coordination. The construction of bridges such as Kalia, Jaygila, Diah, Konja, etc should be given topmost priority to ensure increased accessibility. GOL to encourage mining companies to under development projects in their area of operations especially rehabilitation of roads. County Engineer should conduct assessment of roads and bridges and make further recommendations. On the issue of Education, Ministry of Education to encourage qualified teachers to work in leeward counties through the provision of rural allowances and other benefits, establishment of a teacher training college in the County among others.
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| PART ELEVEN | COSTED WORK PLAN FOR NEXTG YEAR: USD115,228.00 SEE ATTACHED EXHIBIT 2010 |
| PART TWELVE | CONCLUSION: As reported in reports after reports, the implementation of Annex C of the Performance Contract in relation to the services and facilities hampers the implementation of the PRS by CDOs in year one. The government through the Ministry of Planning continues to put pressure on CDOs to favorably perform their functions. There also appears to be a complacency and general lack of will on the part of the government or partners to provide the needed tools to effectively implement the PRS. However, regardless how many short term plans made to influence or push the PRS process forward, the inability on the part of the government to provide those key tools to those who are there to ensure that deliverables under the PRS are implemented, nothing much will be accomplished. This lack of will power to provide working tools for the CDOs is killing the initial momentum of the PRS program. During the entire quarter, the cost of all cell phone communications to facilitate coordination and information gathering and to make follow-ups on issues was incurred by the CDO. Adequate office equipment remains a problem with the CDO employing other means to do photocopies and printing using facilities of the UNMIL or the Superintendent’s office. At the close of the year, the CDO office also used office equipment of LISGIS to facilitate work. |
Submitted by: Edmond R. Gray
Edmond R. Gray
County Development Officer, Grand Cape Mount
November 20, 2009
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