Naymote – Liberia Reveals 93 Promises Made by President-Elect Joseph Boakai
By: Jeremiah Sackie Cooper Gmail: jeremiahcooper105@gmail.com
Liberia: Naymote Partners for Democratic Development – Liberia has released a comprehensive report tracking down promises made by President–Elect Joseph Boakai in the wake of his victory in the just-ended presidential and legislative elections in Liberia.
The promises tracked are promises made to Liberians by the Unity Party standard-bearer during political campaign activities across the country during the October 10, 2023, general elections and the November 14, 2023, presidential run-off election.
According to the report, Boakai who defeated incumbent George Weah, receiving 50.46% of the total votes made 93 campaign promises covering every sector of the country. These promises were derived from the Unity Party’s manifestoes, the Agriculture, Road, Rule of Law, Education Sanitation and Tourism (ARREST) platform, political rallies, talk shows and social media posts among others.
The manifesto unlike outgoing president George Weah’s four pillars Pro-Poor Agenda for Prosperity and Development (PAPD) outlines six pillars, each aiming at a specific commitment to Liberia’s development.
According to Naymote, a total of fifty-eight (58) promises were identified in Pillar One of the Unity Party’s ARREST platform.
Pillar one of the Unity Party ARREST Platform focuses on macroeconomic stability and infrastructural development.
Promises made in this pillar include creating a stable political and socio-economic environment to ensure private-sector participation in economic development, support and promote a free enterprise system, ensuring the creation of shared and inclusive economic growth that Benefits Liberians, facilitating the creation of a knowledge-based economy; improve access to public transport system to facilitate travel, improve air and seaport facilities to ensure effective service delivery.
Develop maritime and inland waterways to facilitate water transport service delivery, construct and rehabilitate railways to improve rail transport, and improve ICT infrastructure Nationwide to facilitate efficient service delivery.
Others include reforming tax administration policies to make them more investment and productive, provision of targeted fiscal incentives to stimulate investments in Agriculture and Light manufacturing, enhancing efficiency in Revenue administration to reduce administrative costs to the economy, and the resulting leakage from rent-seeking.
Naymote disclosed that the Unity Party vowed under pillar one of its ARREST platform to operate a balanced budget policy and ensure that revenue and expenditure estimates are evidence-based, implement the treasury single account (TSA) to strengthen cash management in the public sector, to ensure transparency in public debt management, ensure the independence of Monetary Authorities, supporting domestic production of the basic commodities, implementing the roadmap developed for the dollarization of the Liberian Economy and strengthen the capacities of the Ministry of Agriculture and the Central Agricultural Research Institute (CARI) to conduct appropriate research to discovery innovations, promote Agricultural mechanization and Improve Farmers Access to Production t technology and support farmers to Increase production of the country’s Main Staple Food among others.
The report details that nine (9) promises were made by the UP, reflected in pillar two of its platform. Pillar two of the UP platform focuses on Health, WASH, environment and climate change. Promises under this pillar include the strengthening of the health system, improving water and sanitation service delivery, a healthy environment and promoting climate change mitigation.
According to UNICEF, less than 10% of Liberians have access to safe drinking water and about 42% of Liberians don’t have access to decent toilets and latrines.
Seven promises were made by the Unity party to build the capacity of Liberians. The Unity Party promised to strengthen early childhood, primary, second and tertiary education.
The Unity Party also made seven promises under pillar three of its ARREST platform.
Pillar three of the ARREST platform highlights governance and the rule of law. The UP vowed to improve Foreign Relations and Strengthen Global Engagement, Strengthen National Security to Guarantee a Safe Environment and promote peace transparency and integrity in electoral processes.
The report at the sometime noted that there were eight (8) promises made to enhance the gender, youth, children and social protection. While four promises were made to fight corruption.
The UP declared to strengthen integrity institutions and hold public officials accountable, asset declaration of the president and all those appointed and Promise to Audit outgoing government officials
