Liberia: Technical Assistance Services to the Ministry of Agriculture (TA-MOA) Quarterly Performance Report, October-December 2008

The project is implemented under the Rural and Agricultural Incomes with a Sustainable Environment Indefinite Quantity Contract, signed in March 2008. The technical assistance team, composed of Djibrilla Madougou, Beenwell Banda, and Dr. Quan Dinh, has been working with the Ministry of Agriculture (MOA) to strengthen and support change within the organization. The TA team has been providing support to the MOA in various areas, including institutional strengthening, capacity building, and policy development. The team has been working closely with the Governance Commission (GC) to leverage more resources for the MOA, including additional support for operationalizing the Seed Bank approach. The team has also helped the MOA to select new senior executive staff for strategic areas through interviews at the Civil Service Agency (CSA). The TA team has been working on several tasks, including assessing the roles and responsibilities of the agriculture sector in general and determining the core functions of the MOA and non-core functions of other stakeholders. This task involves conducting an assessment/functional audit to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the MOA and its stakeholders. The team has also been working on capacity building, policy development, and project coordination. The project has made significant progress in the third quarter, with the TA team helping the MOA to manage change and implement its strategy to move from emergency relief to long-term development. The team has also been working on strengthening MOA staff capacity and helping the MOA coordinate with donors and consolidate their promised additional funding. The TA team has requested additional manpower to help the MOA implement the changes needed, and the team has had to respond to many challenging opportunities outside the analytical support set forth in the original Task Order. The team has requested three additional short-term specialists in October, and although approved in principal too late for the field in December, it is hoped to field these specialists in January 2009. The project has also made progress in the area of policy development, with the TA team working on quick-response policy actions, the Seed Bank Program, and the Agriculture Sector Investment Program (ASIP). The team has also been working on capacity building, with a focus on strengthening the MOA's human resources capacity. The project has been supported by various stakeholders, including the Governance Commission, the Civil Service Agency, and the Ministry of Agriculture. The project has also received support from donors, including the World Bank and the African Development Bank. The project's expected outcomes include a well-established foundation for private sector-led agricultural and economic growth and the expertise to achieve reform. The project's progress has been significant, with the TA team making significant contributions to the MOA's institutional strengthening, capacity building, and policy development efforts.