Monrovia – BudgIT Liberia in partnership with Starz University has launched a BudgIT Youth Club, aiming to enhance Fiscal Transparency and Promote Good Governance.
The partnership signing ceremony which took place in Monrovia on June 24, 2024, led to the official launch of the BudgIT Youth Club Initiative on November 14, 2024.
The BudgIT Youth Club Initiative is a flagship program that mentors university students and involves them in leadership and decision-making. It is designed to cultivate and widen the understanding of university students on Fiscal Transparency, Liberia’s Budgeting Process, and Good Governance.
With Starz University in partnership, the initiative has the potential of extending to other universities including African Methodist Episcopal Zion University (A.M.E Zion), United Methodist University (U.M.U), the African Methodist Episcopal University (A.M.E.U), and University of Liberia (UL), the State-run University.
The Chief Of Party, H.E George Akl, USAID Local Empowerment for Accountability and Decentralization (LEAD) Activity, was honored to receive an invitation to serve as the keynote speaker and Chief launcher of the event.
Representing H.E Akl was Mr. Mohammed Swaray, the USAID LEAD ACTIVITY Technical Program Advisor. Speaking, Mr. Swaray delivered on the importance of cultivating integrity-based leadership to improve fiscal transparency, emphasizing ethical leadership as key to fostering trust within institutions. His keynote address highlighted key areas including time management, Leadership, Transparency, and accountability, among others.
Mr. Swaray launched the BudgIT Youth Club program with a leadership quote; “Leadership Starts with the Individual. To become a true leader, one must first be able to lead and manage himself or herself well”.
Mr. Abraham Varney, BudgIT Liberia’s Country Lead, speaking at the event, emphasized that the campus-based BudgIT Youth Club Initiative would be an integral part of Starz University’s programming going forward.
He added that the program seeks to provide career training, leadership development, internships, and workshops on topics such as CV and project proposal writing. He stated that the program will shape the future of students to propel them as emerging leaders.
Mr. Varney further disclosed that BudgIT Liberia will offer students the opportunity to observe sessions at the Liberian Legislature as a member organization of the Liberia Fiscal Transparency and Advisory Board, allowing them to get firsthand experience with legislative proceedings.
“I believe that extending the program to other universities will support open budget processes, enhance leadership skills among young people, and foster informed decision-making among university students as well as augment the national government’s effort to ensure fiscal transparency for good governance to cultivate a speedy economic growth, embodying proper service delivery at all levels,” he stressed.
Madam Carolyn Myers – Assistant Director of Budget Dissemination at the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning, explained the various budget procedures, encouraging students to engage in the reformation process.
Her presentation covered key areas, including citizen engagement, the budget process, and budget law giving participants a broader understanding of the Liberian budgeting process.
Madam Myers maintained that the budget is the president’s document and a constitutional responsibility that can’t be delegated. ” It is important to understand that the budget is one of the most important documents like the constitution”.
Madam Myers provided participants copies of the 2024 budget mid-year reports.
However, for participants, it is the first to obtain a copy of national budget-related documents. Madam Myers, who called on citizens to get involved, concluded that the budget is everybody’s business, not the people’s thing.
Atty. Saryenneh M. Dickson, Acting Executive Director at Sawabenu Liberia – honored an invite gracing the occasion as a special guest. Proxying on his behalf – Mr. Stephen Jallah made a special remark on ensuring fiscal transparency, accountability, integrity, and justice (the rule of law) to cultivate good governance with emphasis on the principle of leadership. Mr. Jallah expressed gratitude to the Leadership of BudgIT Liberia for the initiative which aims at creating an open governance system that would improve the lives of all citizens.
Speaking at the event also were Ms. Mary Kerkulah, President of the University of Liberia Student Union, and Head of Finance at the Federation of Liberian Youth (FLY), Ms. Rosetta Fardolo – represented Ms. Banica Stephanie Elliot, president of the Federation of Liberia Youth (FLY). These astute student leaders expressed their commitment and support for BudgIT’s Mission of creating fiscal transparency to ensure proper service delivery and good governance; and stressed the importance of youth involvement in governance matters, as youth constitute more than 70% of the Liberian populace, they maintained.
Climaxing the program, after being inspired by the keynote address delivered by Mr. Swaray, and presentations made by Mrs. Carolyn Myers Zoduah, Mr. Stephen Jallah, and others, participants expressed gratitude to BudgIT Liberia for affording them such a unique opportunity to acquire knowledge on Fiscal Transparency, Good Governance, and Liberia’s Budgeting process. The students committed themselves to championing Fiscal Transparency and Good Governance advocacy and urged stakeholders and citizens to stay engaged with BudgIT Liberia and other Civic society organizations in addressing the issues of Fiscal Transparency and Good Governance. The event benefited over twenty (20) students, Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), Community-Based Organizations (CBOs), and the Media to engage in robust fiscal transparency advocacy geared toward public participation in Liberia’s budgeting process.
BudgIT Liberia is a civic tech organization that uses creative technology to simplify public information. BudgIT builds a community of citizens who use civic tech to track public projects and demand efficient service delivery. We are a civic organization that applies technology to intersect citizen engagement for institutional improvement to facilitate societal change. A pioneer in advocacy melded with arrays of technologies.
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