Empowerment through Governance

• Author: H.E. Nathaniel Barnes, Ambassador of Liberia
• Pages: 01

The ideas expressed in this article are solely those of Ambassador Barnes and do not reflect the ideas of the government of Liberia.

Page 2

If you look at the history of Liberia, there has always been a cleavage between the social, ethnic, and tribal groups based on the legacy of colonialism and the policy of divide-and-conquer. Colonialists selected a few groups and empowered them through education. The groups became the civil servants to those in power. This has shaped the ways different groups interact in Liberia and across the African continent. To this end, the civil war in Liberia plagued our country for many years and resulted in the death, destruction, displacement and suffering of millions. Despite these things, good has emerged out of this crisis, because it puts Liberia at ground zero and gives us an incredible opportunity to rebuild our beloved country, brick by brick. We have begun to implement a system, based on legal, economic, political and social equity where everyone is treated equally. This has helped to alleviate many of the problems that affected us before. In other words, the most important element of our growth has been the empowering effect of rule of law and good governance. By removing impunity and ensuring that those who break the law or infringe upon another person’s rights will be brought to justice and face the consequences of the law, the government of Liberia has empowered its people and fortified its provinces, communities, and villages.

Creating a legal system that includes a series of commercial laws from an investment perspective has helped our government to render expeditious and equitable rulings that will protect its investments. Liberia is a very rich country, especially in terms of its endowment in natural resources. However, historically, we have failed to manage these resources effectively and to the benefit of our own population so that all of our citizens could enjoy this wealth. This goal of wealth redistribution based on resource management has been a fixed part of our new leadership. Liberia has created a legal framework through which our resources can be distributed equitably. This legislation has sought to prevent the exploitation of our rain forests and extractive industries so that those people who live in the villages where these resources are located can have a role in determining how they are managed and extracted. In return, the funds from these activities help to benefit and...