By G. Watson Richards
The Liberia National Police has initiated a renewed partnership with the Gbowee Peace Foundation Africa aimed at strengthening gender-responsive policing and improving services for women and children across the country.
The engagement, held in Monrovia, brought together senior officers of the LNP’s Gender Affairs Section and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Leymah Gbowee, whose foundation has been instrumental in advancing peacebuilding and women’s empowerment initiatives in Liberia.
Assistant Commissioner of Police Teta Wilson, head of the Gender Affairs Section, praised the Foundation’s longstanding contributions and emphasized the need for stronger institutional support to enhance the unit’s operations.
She specifically appealed for assistance in furnishing the section to improve its effectiveness.
According to a police statement, “the Gender Affairs Section of the Liberia National Police (LNP) has held a productive engagement with Leymah Gbowee… aimed at strengthening collaboration in advancing gender-related services within the police.”
The Inspector General of Police, Col. Gregory O. W. Coleman who later joined the meeting, formally welcomed Gbowee and underscored the importance of sustained partnerships in addressing gender-based violence. Gbowee, in turn, commended the professionalism of a team of 20 female officers led by Wilson during a recent deployment to Sorloma in Lofa County.
The police leadership also called for expanded collaboration in capacity building, particularly through in-service training for officers assigned to the Women and Children Protection Section, with a focus on preventing sexual and gender-based violence.
The statement noted that the Inspector General “appealed to Madam Gbowee and her Foundation to extend support toward in-service training… with a focus on the prevention of Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV).”
Gbowee welcomed the proposal, expressing readiness to support the initiative and deepen cooperation with the LNP.
The LNP reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening partnerships that enhance service delivery, promote gender equality, and ensure the protection of vulnerable populations nationwide.
