The Formal Launching of its PRSP Three Year Business Plan

Monrovia, Liberia - The General Services Agency was constituted by an Act of the National Legislature in 1971 as a result of a comprehensive study of the procurement mechanisms and the acquisition of assets by the Government of Liberia.  This act embodied the tenets of Good Governance, Accountability and Transparency and mandated the GSA to ensure that every feasible effort was pursued to streamline GOL spending, obtain value for the taxpayers dollars and to maintain standards to identify, procure and manage all GOL’s assets with efficiency and transparency.

Since the inception of the Ellen Johnson Sirleaf Government less than two years ago and the establishment of this administrative team at the GSA, and with consolidated efforts involving the GEMAP/USAID funded technical assistance, the Agency has begun a post-conflict recovery exercise in order to fulfill its statutory mandate, as the exclusive GOL asset management and maintenance entity.  Towards this end, a critical institutional examination was initiated as the first order of the day.  This resulted in serious reforms of the workforce and infrastructure.

With the pivotal assistance of GEMAP under the Liberian Budget, Asset and Mining Management Initiative (LIBAMM)-funded by USAID and the full commitment of the President of Liberia, the Agency has initiated a system-wide workforce realignment and capacity building program.  The Agency has also undertaken other vital infrastructure rehabilitation and upgrades. All of these programs are designed and structured to support the national poverty reduction strategies, including the IPRS and the PRSP.  

Under the GOL’s national recovery program, the GSA is strategically aligned with two of the four pillars; (1) Good Governance and the Rule of Law and (2) Infrastructure and Basicl Services.  These ongoing initiatives of the Agency incorporates these pillars in the formulation of key policy documents focused in the National Asset Acquisition, Management and Maintenance Policy, the National Commodity & Price Index and the consolidation of commonly used assets and equipment for price uniformity, standardization and quality.

The General Services Agency is also undertaking to establish, equip and maintain a robust GOL Asset Data Registry, our management information system- when completed, will record and store GOL’s asset data that will track each asset from “CRADDLE TO GRAVE”. This system will completely revolutionize our national data collection process and will facilitate easy access and the availability of data to all GOL functionaries.  

The Agency has also embarked upon staff development initiatives to train and retrain employees. Emphasis has been strategically placed upon our technicians and also our Management Internal Control Department – our internal auditors. We consider the capacity building of our internal auditors as a priority because our MIC Department provides the necessary framework to ensure policies and procedures are free of corrupt practices. To date, we are in the process of contracting local professional firms to ensure this occur so that our MIC auditors are of the highest quality in accordance to the International Auditing Standards (IAS).

This MIS facility will also assist the Bureau of Budget, the Public Procurement and Concessions Commission and the Ministry of Finance with timely and adequate data to enable them to perform their respective mandates more efficiently.

The proper management of ALL GOL Assets will definitely support the reduction in corruption by protection of national assets from misuse and abuse.  It will also protect the taxpayers’ interests by streamlining GOL spending to reduce waste, and operational costs.  The measures planted by proper management of ASSETS will reap substantial savings to the GOL, and these savings can be adequately utilized to support other key GOL’s poverty reduction initiatives such as salary increases and infrastructure rehabilitation.

All of these and other institutional plans and programs, representing our six core businesses or programs have been developed into a three year business plan which has been reviewed and approved by the President of Liberia.  Ladies and gentlemen of the Press, on behalf of the General Services Agency, R.L., it is our pleasure to present our institutional road map in support of our vision and mission as the EXCLUSIVE ASSET CUSTODIAN AND MANAGER OF THE GOL.

We hope that our development partners, both big and small and other friendly nations and entities will come forward and stand with us – in providing material and financial support towards the proper implementation of this plan.  This plan represents critical reforms not only to the GSA, but also to our entire Government and nation.  We welcome all support and also urge you, the members of the fourth Estate to join us in this campaign of support mobilization.