Liberia: an experience in post-conflict recovery

July 11,

When you work in “development” you eventually reach a point when you become quite skeptical of the whole system. After three weeks – I have reached that wall of skepticism.

Imagine Monrovia, a city of a million people, dilapidated buildings, insufficient school systems, abject poverty, no sewage or water system, and no electricity. These challenges in the city are only dwarfed by the more depressed circumstances in rural areas. While the challenges seem endless – so do the available resources. As I move through the city I am amazed at the number of international agency SUVs that are on the road. There are hundreds. Then you enter “Mamba Point” the unofficially designated international agency neighborhood. There is every agency there from the ARC (American Refugee Committee) to UNICEF. Each agency has several departments, each department has a budget and a number of personnel assigned to that designated task. I can’t help but wonder how it is that with the amount of US dollars, and international expertise that has descended upon Liberia in this post-conflict period, how it is that things are not moving forward more efficiently.

Moving beyond the larger question of effective management and implementation of multi-faceted resources, is the less straightforward question: How can Liberians become fully integrated participants and managers of their own recovery? Granted, asking this question is not to say that Liberians are not at the helm – in fact they are, particularly in the public sector. But I wonder to what extent the international contributors are able to integrate Liberians as full participants, and to what extent the geo-political power-dynamic between Developed and Developing Nations plays out on the ground between imported expert practitioners and local workers. This is something that I hope to learn more about as the time moves on.

Recognizing myself as an imported practitioner, I am often not sure how to feel about the privilege I am lent simply because of my nationality and Harvard status. Because of my status, I have access to the international community and their lifestyle: After-work dinners at local restaurants; weekend beach trips; pool-side dinners/parties; air-conditioned cars, offices and bedrooms; running water; and enough disposable income to only drink bottled water. While I appreciate these comforts – they are a constant reminder of my privileged existence, something that I am not always comfortable with or quite sure how to handle well. Will my efforts from my air-conditioned bubble truly “trickle” out and change the lives of the young men with missing limbs who beg at my car window. Will my work with SMEs truly enable market women to become profitable businesswomen who can take care of themselves and employ others?

I have no misconceptions about what can be done in 2 months, and I am fully aware of the limitations of my work. I guess I wonder to what extent my limitations are systemic, meaning that the hundreds of other imported practitioners like me, who come for a time and spin their wheels, to what extent is our work limited. How do we effectively bridge the gap between the official meetings and typed reports and the reality of those who we work on behalf of? How do we get to a tipping point where Liberia moves forward aggressively, surpassing the imposed limitations of lists and lists of challenges? Am I simply suffering from impatience, or is it that in the world of development we have become complacent, accepting the lack of efficiency and celebrating marginal improvements as success when we know that much more is necessary and possible?

June 22,

President Sirleaf has assigned me to work with the National Investment Commission (NIC). The commission was established in 1979 with the purpose of promoting and coordinating all investment activities in Liberia. During my time with the commission I will be a member of the team that is developing a new strategy for attracting foreign investment. In addition, the Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) Department of the NIC recently established an Enterprise Development Fund which aims to stimulate the growth of local businesses. I will be working with this department in order to develop a strategic plan for increasing the size of the fund and identifying how it can be best used to have the maximum impact on local business development.

As you can imagine, one of the consequences of the civil war has been severe economic degradation. Currently, more than 80% of the population is unemployed. Local business ventures are dominated by the elite (particularly non-Liberians), and foreign investment has been limited due to the disincentives of violence and poor infrastructure. For many Liberians daily survival is extremely difficult. While sources of income are scarce, the cost of living is high. Most goods, even staples such as rice, are imported. To give you an idea of the severity of the situation, the average government salary is about USD $30 a month (USD$1 per day). A bag of rice (which can last the average family about 2-3 weeks) on average costs USD $20. While formal employment provides security, even the majority of “employed” Liberians do not earn a living wage. Consequently most people depend on working several jobs in the informal market, and/or receiving monthly wire transfers from family living abroad.

Honestly, when I step away from my meetings here at the commission and I consider the daily reality of the average Liberian, the economic predicament of the nation seems completely overwhelming. That being said, the level of resources, expertise, and commitment that is dedicated to the recovery of this country leaves me with little doubt that appropriate and effective strategies will be taken. With the right strategy, entrepreneurs and investors will be able to grow successful businesses that provide employment at livable wages, allowing families to send their children to school, and providing the foundation for the generations to come to have the means to live productive and healthy lives. The simultaneous complexity and simplicity of the situation keeps me up at nights. It is exciting to imagine the possibilities.

After a series of close calls – having my passport go MIA with the US postal service, getting stuck in dead-locked traffic on the drive to New York’s JFK, and almost missing my connection in Brussels, I landed in Monrovia ... [Continue reading this entry]