Message from the Superintendent

To the Citizens of Lofa County and Our Friends, As we all recognize that development should be people-centered, with both the processes and the outcomes revolving around people, this County Development Agenda was forged through a process of citizen participation and collaboration. It is inextricably linked to the national Poverty Reduction Strategy, with the ultimate goals of achieving the Millennium Development Goals and consolidating peace and security, fostering ethnic reconciliation and improving local governance and economy.

The essence of development is to enhance people’s choices and access to life-sustaining opportunities. Whether we are talking about a good road network, quality education for all, or access to health care, we must always ensure the active involvement of citizens in designing the systems that are meant to serve them.

The way we manage the interaction and participation of all stakeholders will determine the sustainability of our development in the long run. This will only happen through a process of consensus-building between the diversity of donors, local and international NGOs, citizens, the private sector, lawmakers and other stakeholders.

We can all agree that poverty reduction begins and is sustained with the ability to feed oneself. Before the war, fertile Lofa County was known as “The Breadbasket of Liberia” due to its high level of food production, especially of rice, the national staple. With a small measure of outside support from our development partners, I believe that Lofa County is capable of again being able to feed this nation on its own within a two- to four-year period.

The County is grateful to Ministers Ambulai B. Johnson and Toga McIntosh of the
Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Ministry of Planning and Economic Affairs respectively for their guidance and moral support in making this document a reality.

The People of Lofa also want to thank the European Commission’s Community
Rehabilitation Component 3, the UN County Support Team (CST) and all of our international partners for their support. This document would not have been completed without the immense contributions of the Chairman and the members of the Lofa County Legislative Caucus of the 52nd Legislature; Assistant Superintendent for Development, Hon. Fofi S. Baimba; the staff of the County Administrators’ offices; the leadership of the various districts; all the students’, women’s and youth groups; the town chiefs; and of course, all the citizens of Lofa that walked long hours to participate in the consultations.

Fellow citizens, think big and we will live big—big in accomplishment, big in love and big in respect for each other.

Galakpai Woizee Kortimai
Superintendent, Lofa County