House Launches Legislative Capacity-Building Workshop to Strengthen Governance
By Anthony Dahn
Members of the House of Representatives on Friday began a high-level legislative capacity-building workshop aimed at enhancing lawmakers’ effectiveness in lawmaking, oversight, and governance.
The training, organized with support from the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung (KAS), seeks to equip legislators with improved knowledge of legislative best practices, policy development, and institutional governance to strengthen the performance of the Legislature.
Opening the workshop, the Speaker of the House praised KAS and its partners for facilitating the initiative, describing it as a timely intervention to enhance the knowledge and professional capacity of lawmakers in fulfilling their constitutional responsibilities.
He urged members of the House to participate actively throughout the sessions, emphasizing that the knowledge gained would contribute to stronger legislative performance and improved national governance.
Delivering remarks at the opening ceremony, Germany’s Ambassador to Liberia, Dr. Jakob Haselhuber, expressed appreciation to both chambers of the Legislature and KAS for organizing the event, noting that it marked a fitting conclusion to his nearly five-year diplomatic mission in Liberia.
The ambassador disclosed that the idea for the workshop emerged during discussions held in January with President Joseph Nyuma Boakai and KAS representatives. According to him, President Boakai immediately endorsed the proposal to provide similar capacity-building opportunities for lawmakers and Cabinet officials.
Reflecting on Liberia’s democratic progress, Ambassador Haselhuber commended legislators for their active engagement in debates on key national issues and their commitment to shaping policies that address the country’s development challenges.
He stressed, however, that effective governance extends beyond the passage of laws, underscoring the importance of implementing legislation to achieve meaningful results.
Using the Decentralization Act as an example, the German envoy called for greater attention to strengthening county service centers established to bring essential public services closer to citizens. He also highlighted the need for reforms in Liberia’s mining sector that promote local value addition instead of relying primarily on the export of raw materials.
According to Ambassador Haselhuber, increasing domestic processing and creating more economic value within Liberia would play a critical role in accelerating sustainable growth and national development.
The workshop is expected to deepen lawmakers’ understanding of legislative procedures, governance principles, and policy formulation while strengthening the institutional effectiveness of the House of Representatives.
