Liberia’s Minister of Gender, Children and Social Protection, Williametta Saydee-Tarr, and the National Social Protection Coordinator, Aurelius D. Butler, have participated in the 7th Face-to-Face Africa Community of Practice (CoP) Meeting focused on the linkages between cash transfers and human capital development in Africa.
The meeting, which was hosted by the Government of Rwanda i, was held under the theme, “Human Capital Development,” and will also reflect the wealth of experience of the countries on the continent, in using cash transfer programs to build and retain the human capital of their
populations.
According to a dispatch from Kigali, Rwanda, the Africa CoP was supported by the World Bank and UNICEF, and Liberia’s participation was under its’ flagship Social Protection program, Liberia Social
Safety Nets (LSSN) Project.
The CoP was established in 2011, as a platform for social protection practitioners to promote knowledge sharing on cash transfer programs and has become a leading learning platform on how to design, implement and consolidate cash transfer programs in African countries.
“As part of their trip, the team paid field visits to create a practical learning experience for practitioners of cash transfer programs and how they can contribute to the achievement of human
capital development,” a statement from the Ministry of Gender says.
During the meeting, Minister Tarr shared a panel with the Sierra Leonean Minister of Labor and Social Security, Adekunle J. M. King, on the topic, “Political Transitions and the Political Economy of Cash Transfers in which she gave ideas on how to depoliticize cash transfers and what government needs from the technocrats relative to policies and implementations.
She also met with her Rwandan counterpart, Minister of Gender Soline Nyirahabimana, and their discussion covered women’s participation in political leadership, gender mainstreaming, the importance of early childhood development, gender responsive budgeting and, winning the
fight for equity”.
Minister Tarr, who is also a member of the Monrovia City Council, met with Her Ladyship Marie Chantal Rwakazina, the Mayor of Kigali, to appreciate her and the people of Kigali for hosting the conference.
According to the statement, they discussed the important work of municipalities and lessons learned from the process of getting the City of Kigali to be clean and green and agreed on the importance of
direct continued contact between the two cities, for further talks on the possibility of establishing a sister city relationship.
The statement pointed out that Minister Tarr also held several high-level side meetings with the Rwandan Minister of State in charge of Social Affairs and Social Protection, Dr. Alvera Mukabaramba; and the Rwandan Minister of Local Government, Prof. Shyaka Anastase.
On Thursday, May 23, the Gender Minister, along with participants from the CoP Meeting met with beneficiaries of the program who are employed in the Rwandan Cash Transfer Public Works Program, who gave their testimonies about how the program has changed and advanced their lives
positively.
Minister Tarr was also invited to visit the Kigali Genocide Museum by the Minister of Local Government, where she laid a wreath on the Mass Graves of Rwanda’s genocide victims, on behalf of the Government and people of Liberia.
TSS/abj/APA