cental

The Center for Transparency and Accountability in Liberia (CENTAL) on Tuesday, March 31 officially launched the Advocacy and Legal Advice Center (ALAC) in Liberia.  The launching program attracted several dignitaries including representatives from government, civil society, diplomatic missions and private citizens.  The Chairman of the Liberia Anti-corruption Commission (LACC), Frances Johnson-Morris served as Chief Launcher.

Chairman Morris praised CENTAL for remaining steadfast in the pursuit of its vision for a transparent and integrity-based society.  She congratulated CENTAL for its wisdom in deciding to collaborate with the LACC in the common goal of combating corruption in the country. She referred to the initiative as praiseworthy, saying it would be a good complement for the LACC’s work and challenged the media and other stakeholders to take ownership of the process. 

 

Also making remarks were Lucy Abbott, Economic Officer of the U.S. Embassy; DFID’s Country Representative Desmond Curran; Head of the Liberia Extractive Industries Transparency Initiatives (LEITI) Secretariat Cllr. Negbalee T. Warner; Country Representative of Action AID Liberia Ernest Gaie, Assistant Minister of Finance for Administration, Theodore Hodge and CENTAL’s Board Chairperson Sister Mary Laurene Browne.  Their statements were full of praises for the new endeavor and its relevance to the fight against all forms of corruption in Liberia.   They encouraged collaboration with law enforcement agencies and other CSOs in the country for increased momentum for the ALAC success.  

 

The ALAC Coordinator Onike Gooding-Freeman provided background on the ALAC and noted that it was meant to provide legal advice and assistance to victims and witnesses of corruption. She said the ALAC would help citizens pursue corruption-related complaints, encouraging them to come forward. Information gained from client complaint and cases would allow the ALAC to advocate for reform based on very concrete evidence.  She averred that ALAC would translate citizens concerns on corruption into structural changes for better local and national governance. 

The program was climaxed with cultural performance and dramas depicting the impact of corruption on the stability and socio-economic growth of Liberia.