Contributed By: Blamo N. Toe
MONROVIA: BudgIt Liberia has launched its Youth Club for university students through a partnership deal with Starz University to among other things; strengthen fiscal transparency and good governance.
At the official partnership ceremony held in Monrovia today, BudgIt Liberia Country Lead, Abraham Varney stated that the campus-based initiative is now considered an official program established within Starz University moving forward.
According to him, the program seeks to provide career training, leadership knowledge, internships, workshops on CV writing and project proposal writing among others.
He said BudgIt Liberia will also give students of the partnered party the opportunity to visit the Liberian Legislature during the regular sessions of lawmakers and watch how legislative proceedings are conducted session, while the institution remains engaged with the beneficiaries as part of the memorandum of understanding signed between both parties.
Varney further disclosed that his institution is working out modalities and engaging in fruitful conversations with the administrations of the University of Liberia (UL), United Methodist University (UMU), African Methodist Episcopal University (AMEU), and African Methodist Episcopal Zion University (AMEZU) for the expansion of the BudgIt Liberia Youth Club initiative.
He believes when this program extends to other institutions of higher learning across the country, it will enhance the open budget process, build the leadership skills of the younger generation at the university level and improve the process of making informed decisions.
“The BudgIt Youth Club Initiative is a flagship program that mentors university’s students from Starz University and involves them in leadership and decision-making, in addition to spreading the culture of human rights and its values,” Varney stated.
“It bridges career development and leadership gaps among university’s students by building their capacity to contribute to Liberia’s development, and skill workforce”.
He also indicated that the program will run in coordination with the administrations of universities, with focus in two thematic areas: career development and leadership.
“The objective of the BudgIt Youth Club is to build a community of active students that utilize public data and training that improves student’s participation in governance and nation building by equipping them with the employable and leadership skills to enhance participatory governance,” the Country Lead stressed.
According to him, the launch signifies the importance of promoting fiscal transparency and the equitable distribution of state resources by making sure that it reaches the end users.
Also speaking at the event, the Director for Budget at the Ministry of Finance and Development-Planning, Carolyn Myers outlined the different budget procedures, thus encouraging participating university students to be part of the reformation process.
During the presentation, she highlighted key focus areas ranging from citizens engagement, budget processes, and budget law among others.