USAID/OTI Liberia Success Story
February 2007
Combating Corruption: Public Enemy Number One of a New Liberia
USAID/OTI's BRDG-Liberia program was initiated in September 2006 to support the political transition prompted by the free and fair election of President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, the first democratically elected female head of state in Africa.
The Building Recovery and Reform through Democratic Governance (BRDG) program assists the Government of Liberia and other key actors to further the following political objectives:
- Improving capacity in such areas as planning, budgeting, communication, and coordination with relevant counterparts
- Mounting effective responses to high-visibility issues
- Strengthening the Mano River Union by supporting cooperative regional activities
The USAID Mission in Liberia, USAID's Africa Bureau, and the Office of Democracy and Governance are key players in the coordination of the BRDG program.
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| The director of CENTAL leads a discussion on assets disclosure at a community meeting in West Point, Monrovia. |
Corruption has been prevalent in Liberian society for years, and public office has historically been abused. Corruption benefits the few at the expense of the many, and its consequences inhibit economic development as scarce resources are diverted from basic services. This endemic disease, which has marred the fabric of Liberian society, has been declared "public enemy number one," and President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf has made the fight against it a priority.
Liberia is in the process of transitioning away from the corrupt practices of the past to a society built on democracy, transparency, and accountability. Within Liberia, however, there is a dominant perception that one of the easiest routes to self-enrichment is through public office. Therefore, OTI's BRDG-Liberia program is working with the Center for Transparency and Accountability in Liberia (CENTAL), a research-based anticorruption advocacy group, to bring the issue of assets disclosure and its relevance to the fight against corruption to the forefront of public opinion. The goal of this endeavor is to inform the public about the President's directive concerning the disclosure of assets of certain government officials and about the pending legislation to codify assets disclosure into Liberian law.
Through a nationwide media and advocacy campaign involving interactive radio talk shows, community meetings in four counties, and the distribution of thousands of T-shirts, flyers, banners, and posters, CENTAL has taken the assets disclosure issue to the Liberian people. The initiative has increased citizen awareness of the importance of assets disclosure. In fact, 99 percent of interviewees state that assets disclosure by public officials is an effective means of fighting corruption. Backing for the pending law on assets disclosure is gaining support from both civil society organizations and the public, and the interest in the law is letting public officials know that their constituents are watching.
For further information, please contact:
In Washington: John Gattorn, Program Manager, 202-712-4168, jgattorn@usaid.gov
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