The Center for Transparency and Accountability in Liberia (CENTAL) has concluded a day-long Anti-Corruption Training, targeting twenty-one County Service Center (CSC) Officials in Gbarnga, Bong County. The training was held on Tuesday, August 12, 2025, at the Development Education Network-Liberia (DeN-L).
Speaking to journalists at the end of the day-long engagement, Torwon F. Gensee, CENTAL’s Program Officer, outlined the objectives of the training, emphasizing that the newly launched anti-corruption training program is aimed at empowering officials at the County Service Centers in three of Liberia’s fifteen counties, Bong, Margibi, and Grand Bassa.
According to Gensee, this initiative seeks to enhance the capabilities of these officials, enabling them to play a more effective role in combating corruption while providing essential public services. The training program is also designed to address existing capacity gaps and improve service delivery at the County Service Centers, where challenges and resource inadequacies have been identified. Gensee emphasized the importance of equipping officials with specialized skills to detect and combat corruption effectively, reflecting the critical role that anti-corruption measures play in governance.
Funded by the Embassy of Ireland through Irish Aid, this program is part of a broader three-year project focused on education in political governance and accountability in Liberia. He said it is being implemented by three civil society organizations across the three counties, adding that the project aims not only to combat corruption but also to promote effective governance. Additionally, Gensee expressed gratitude to the Embassy of Ireland for the financial support that has made this initiative possible.
He used the medium to encourage participants to take ownership of discussions and apply their learnings to their interactions with service requests, highlighting the importance of maximizing donor funds to bolster efforts against corruption. “Engagement from local participants is deemed crucial for the sustainability of these endeavors within their communities,” he stated.
Also, Arthur Crawford, Coordinator of the Bong County Service Center, discussed the center’s functions and reiterated the need to strengthen anti-corruption efforts. He underscored the importance of understanding anti-corruption laws, which serve as essential tools in the fight against corruption. He further stated that the training program also aims to educate participants on existing laws, such as protecting whistleblowers, to facilitate the reporting of corrupt practices.
He also underscored the ultimate goal of the training, especially empowering officials of the targeted centers to make informed decisions in alignment with anti-corruption initiatives, thereby enhancing service delivery and promoting transparency and accountability at the County Service Center.
For his part, William Sumoward, Bong County Labour Commissioner, lauded CENTAL and partners for the training, describing it as essential for operators of the county center. Sumoward also used the medium to call on CENTAL and partners to continue to engage public service center operators with Anti-Corruption Training, something he believes educates them about local corrupt practices. As Bong County benefits from this knowledge-gaining initiative, officials from Margibi and Grand Bassa County Service Centers are expected to engage in a similar training on August 14 & 18 respectively.
