By Stephanie M. Duncan
Community leaders, government officials, and development partners have endorsed Community Action Plans (CAPs) for Porkpa, Tewor, and Kungba Districts, marking a significant step toward advancing peace, good governance, and sustainable development in Liberia’s Gola Landscape.
The endorsement followed a series of community engagement activities conducted in June and July under the GOLA-REAP (Resilience, Empowerment, Access and Peacebuilding) Project, jointly implemented by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the World Food Programme (WFP) with funding from the United Nations Peacebuilding Fund (PBF) under the oversight of the United Nations Peacebuilding Support Office (PBSO).
A total of 124 stakeholders, including community leaders, women, youth representatives, traditional authorities, government officials, and development partners, participated in the engagements to validate local development priorities and strengthen community ownership of the action plans.
Speaking during the process, Acting District Commissioner of Porkpa District, Madam Isatta Massaquoi, described the Community Action Plans as a milestone for local development.
“For the first time, our communities have a clear roadmap that reflects our own priorities and concerns. The Community Action Plan gives us a shared direction and strengthens our commitment to work together with government and partners to build peace, improve governance, and promote sustainable development in our communities,” she said.
The engagement process featured community validation meetings, consultations with government officials, and community-government dialogue sessions that allowed residents to raise concerns about land and forest governance, the impact of mining activities, environmental protection, and greater community participation in decision-making.
Government representatives pledged to promote stronger public consultation, improve natural resource governance, enhance accountability, and strengthen environmental oversight in response to the concerns raised.
Representing the Ministry of Local Government, Assistant Minister for Culture and Traditions, Hon. William Jallah, Sr., commended community leaders and residents for their active participation throughout the process.
He acknowledged ongoing challenges, including poor road infrastructure and governance issues within the mining and forestry sectors, while reaffirming the Ministry’s commitment to working with relevant government institutions and development partners to implement government-related actions outlined in the Community Action Plans.
As part of the initiative, community and local leaders also received training in peacebuilding, conflict management, governance, leadership, accountability, and the implementation of the Local Government Act of 2018 to strengthen their capacity to promote peaceful coexistence and community development.
To support long-term implementation, the project established a network of Community Early Warning and Project Monitors tasked with preventing conflicts, monitoring project implementation, strengthening accountability, and collecting community feedback.
Executive Director of the Liberia Peacebuilding Office, Sheikh Kamara, described the Community Action Plans as practical roadmaps for promoting peace, social cohesion, and sustainable development, emphasizing that lasting peace begins within communities.
He reaffirmed the Liberia Peacebuilding Office’s commitment to working closely with county and district authorities to support and monitor the implementation of the plans.
Project implementers and government partners say the next phase will focus on printing and distributing the finalized Community Action Plans, strengthening community early warning systems, addressing key concerns such as forest boundary disputes, and supporting the implementation of priority actions identified by local communities.
Officials believe these measures will deepen collaboration between citizens and government institutions while advancing peace, accountability, good governance, and sustainable development across the Gola Landscape.
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