UNDP as part of its development support to the government’s Pro-Poor Agenda for Prosperity and Development (PAPD) donated three new DELL lap tops to the newly established National Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Commission (NWASHC).

The donation is in response to  a request to UNDP by Ambassador Bobby Whitfield, Chief Executive Officer of NWASHC.

Whitfield made the request when Dorsla Farcarthy, Team Leader of UNDP Sustainable Economic Transformation (SET) Pillar pay an acquaintance visit to the commission.

He praised UNDP for its immense contributions to numerous development programmes of the Government of Liberia, recognizing UNDP GoAL WaSH programme that has been in the fore front of governance reforms of Liberia’s water and sanitation sector.

“UNDP was the first development partner supporting the government to improve safe water supply and decent sanitation by mentoring core staff of the commission immediately after their appointment by the President of Liberia and subsequent confirmation by the Liberian Senate,” Whitfield said.

During the presentation of the three lap tops at the One UN House in Monrovia, Octavius Sampson, Finance and Procurement Director, National Water Sanitation and Hygiene Commission (NWASHC) extended on behalf of his boss thanks and appreciation to UNDP for the magnanimous donation.

According to him, this is the first major donation to the Commission by a development partner. Sampson said that his Commission remains grateful to UNDP  for the technical and financial support to the work of the commission, especially the most recent that resulted to the drafting of  a five-year (2019-2024) Strategic Plan.  

“Now that the Commission is beginning to become fully functional to perform its regulatory role in the water and sanitation sector of Liberia, the plan is expected to be endorsed by the commission’s governing board and serve as a road map or agenda of the commission.

Currently, the draft of the document is being reviewed by stakeholders and final validation is expected to be held soon.

The document is aligned with government of Liberia Pro Poor Agenda for Prosperity Development (PAPD) and the UN Sustainable Development Goal 6.

For his part, Robert Dorliae who made the donation of the three lap tops to NWASHC on behalf of UNDP, urged the Commission to use the items to boost its work.

“Water is Life” and there is a need for authorities of the Commission to design strategies on how to meet the demands by the population of Liberia for safe water,” Dorlaie stressed.

He noted that Liberia is not an exception to the global climate change that is taking considerable toll on fresh water supply to meet the human, animal, agriculture, industrial and recreational needs.

Dorlaie expressed the hope that NWASHC as a new public entity, will develop regulatory instruments that will improve Liberia’s WASH performance and increase service delivery to the underserved.