WASHINGTON, June 12, 2024 – The World Bank approved financing for the Governance Reform and Accountability Transformation (GREAT) Project. This flagship project, funded by an International Development Association (IDA) credit of US$30 million, aims to enhance access to selected digitally provided public services, raise tax revenues, and improve the openness and accountability of institutions. It will also strengthen the use of country systems and sustainably build the capacity of civil servants to implement reform programs.
“The GREAT project will support the Government’s ARREST (Agriculture, Roads, Rule of Law, Education, Sanitation, and Tourism) agenda of achieving greater transparency, accountability, and efficiency in public institutions. It will accelerate efforts to rebuild and transform key institutions while delivering tangible results for the people of Liberia – including those in hard-to-reach areas,” said World Bank Liberia Country Manager Georgia Wallen.
The project will address three key challenges in Liberia: a weak system for delivering administrative services due to low state presence and infrastructure constraints across the country; a strained fiscal outlook due to low domestic resource mobilization; and limited accountability for managing public resources with uneven service delivery results. Insufficient revenues undermine the ability of the state to provide services while taxes are particularly difficult to mobilize in an environment of low accountability. These interconnected challenges need to be addressed simultaneously.
Beneficiaries of the GREAT project include various government institutions such as ministries, regulatory bodies, and commissions involved in finance, development, telecommunications, identification, revenue, anti-corruption, public accounts, procurement, and auditing. However, the ultimate beneficiaries are citizens of Liberia who will enjoy economic gains and efficiency benefits from improved public service delivery, higher domestic revenue mobilization, and enhanced transparency and oversight. Citizens living outside Monrovia will especially benefit from improved basic service delivery at the county level.
“The new project’s focus on multichannel service delivery through digitalization will make key services more accessible and affordable. The implementation of the Value-Added Tax (VAT) will expand the tax base enabling the government to collect more revenue to meet spending needs. Greater transparency and accountability will improve trust in the public sector’s performance and strengthen the social contract,” said Co-Task Team Leaders Runyararo Gladys Senderayi and MacDonald Nyazvigo.
The GREAT project will also seek improvements in follow-up on audit recommendations; rollout of e-Government Procurement system; launch of a digitalized asset declaration system; rollout of Integrated Financial Management Information System (IFMIS) to counties; and rollout of National ID system.
The International Development Association (IDA), established in 1960 helps poor countries by providing grants and low-interest credits for projects that boost economic growth reduce poverty improve lives IDA is one largest sources assistance poorest countries Africa Resources from IDA bring positive change 1.3 billion people Since 1960 IDA has provided $458 billion Annual commitments have averaged about $29 billion over last three years with about 70 percent going Africa Learn more online: IDA.worldbank.org #IDAworks
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