-Focuses on local government, revenue sharing, tourism Ombudsman, Paris Agreement others
By Jerromie S. Walters
As he delivered his first State of the Nation address, and as customarily required, President Joseph Nyuma Boakai smartly touched every major sector of the Liberian government, including education, health, agriculture, as well as other areas of government that are as essential as the different sectors.
The Liberian Leader didn’t ignore the importance of making known his legislative agenda, which is also apt in the governance process. Presenting his Legislative Agenda, President Boakai pointed out the Presidential Transition Act, Bill for the Establishment of the Ministry of Local Government, Operationalizing the Revenue Sharing Law, Passage of the National Tourism Bill, Establishment of the Office of the Ombudsman, Amendment to the New Financial Institution Act, Amended and Restated Payments System Act, Liberia Insurance Regulatory Commission Act, and the 2015 Paris Agreement.
The President says his government’s legislative agenda is aimed at working with the legislature in doing the business of the people for which proposed legislation will be submitted in the coming months.
He added that the different legislations will focus on shaping the outcomes they desire from their development agenda.
He referenced- “A Presidential Transition Act was drafted in 2017 to provide the appropriate legal framework for the seamless transition from one democratically elected president to the other. The draft bill has since been lingering with little or no action to move it to legislation. Given the difficulty in establishing the appropriate framework to guide the recent presidential transition, my Government will immediately review the draft bill for submission to the legislature for passage. When passed, the Presidential Transition Act will provide the legal basis for the smooth transfer of political power.”
For the bill for the Establishment of the Ministry of Local Government, Mr. Boakai says it aims at advancing modalities to operationalize the Local Government Act passed in 2018 to fast-track the transitioning of the Ministry of Internal Affairs to the new Ministry of Local Government. The Ministry of Local Government will have the authority to drive the Government’s decentralization program.
Boakai: “Operationalizing the Revenue Sharing Law. The Revenue Sharing Law needs to be synchronized with existing laws including the Project Financial Management Act (PFMA), and the current Revenue Code. The Revenue Sharing Law (passed in 2022) and these two other instruments were designed for different systems of Government. While the new Revenue Sharing Act is designed to facilitate fiscal decentralization in a decentralized system of governance, the other two cater to a centralized system where the sub-national bodies do not have any authority to use a portion of locally generated revenue. This has left County Service Centers that should be functioning and raising revenue, often stranded to raise operational costs. We will work with the relevant institutions of Government to align the new Law with the existing Law; popularize the Law and ensure adherence and enforcement across the Country.”
Elaborating on the Passage of the National Tourism Bill, the President mentioned that one of the major recommendations that came out of the mandate and functional review of the Ministry of Information, Cultural Affairs, and Tourism was the need to divest culture and tourism from the Ministry of Information. He says a National Tourism bill has since been sent to the Legislature with a first public hearing. “Improving tourism is one of the pillars of the ARREST agenda. We will work with the Legislature on the status of this bill pending necessary actions to complete this process. Once passed, Liberia will have a National Tourism Authority mandated to draw up regulations and the appropriate governing framework for the tourism sector.”
Establishment of the Office of the Ombudsman
During his first annual State of the Nation address, the Liberian Leader said the passage of the Code of Conduct for public officials has not had the full effect of the Law. “A major hurdle is a lack of ‘implementation infrastructure’. To this end, there is a need to establish the Office of the Ombudsman. When established, this office will supervise the enforcement of all provisions of the Code of Conduct and will also impose sanctions for infractions. We must begin looking at appointing an individual with the requisite moral standing to head and run the office.”
Amendment to the New Financial Institution Act
As part of the CBL’s financial sector reform in 2023, Mr. Boakai noted that the Bank submitted to the Office of the President a new Banking Law to replace the existing New Financial Institution Act of 1999. He recalled that this Act was submitted to the National Legislature for enactment but is still pending passage. In the coming days, he says his Administration will work with the leadership of the Legislature to ensure the New Banking Act is passed into Law.
Amended and Restated Payments System Act
Boakai: “An Amended and Restated Payments System Act is currently being reviewed by my Administration. The Act, when passed into Law, will help strengthen the means of mobile payment across platforms and enhance a drive towards a cashless society.”
Liberia Insurance Regulatory Commission Act
Among several other legislative instruments, President Boakai stated that the Central Bank of Liberia is working on a draft Liberia Insurance Regulatory Commission Act which is currently being shared with stakeholders for their input following which, it will be submitted for passage into law. “We are also working on a draft Bill for a National Health Insurance Scheme for Liberia. The Scheme is intended to reduce out-of-pocket costs for citizens and enhance access to affordable and quality healthcare.”
2015 Paris Agreement
More to the above legislative materials, the President said the threat of climate change to the environment and way of life is becoming obvious by the day, which is why Liberia must join the rest of the world to address the causes of this phenomenon. “I call on the legislature to work with us to begin looking at the Paris Agreement including the carbon market to ensure our national interest is protected.”
He further noted that a list of protocols, conventions, and other instruments will be forwarded to the legislature for consideration and appropriate action.
