and using new fiduciary controls in spending; hiring and training of new civil servants; and putting into place a biometric system for identifying public servants. However, the design of sector programs was less well calibrated. Sector-specific indicators for capacity building are often missing or processdriven, with few measurable indicators. In health services, indicators were available although they pertained mainly to training programs. Indicators for the private sector related to increases in employment.
The Outcomes As discussed in greater detail in chapter 3, the progress made in strengthening human resource capacity in the civil service, information systems for planning and budgeting, and financial management and oversight and regulatory institutions is a significant achievement of the Liberia program. One particularly interesting initiative, the Financial Management School, is noted in box 6.1. By and large, the Bank’s sector-level capacity building efforts do not reflect a structured approach that is adequate to meet the needs. The achievements in building capacity at the sector level thus far are modest. It is true that other partners are often engaged in capacity building, but this is also the case for the core functions where the Bank has added value by providing coherence to these efforts and ensuring that no key institutions are left out. In each sector program, World Bank Group staff need to take a broader view beyond the needs of a specific project.
Box 6.1.
The Financial Management School
The program for Financial Management Training is a unique capacity-building model that could well be replicated in other fragile states. In 2007, the World Bank Group provided a grant to support Liberia’s Public Financial Management Capacity Building Technical Assistance project, which assisted the Ministry of Finance in establishing the Liberian Institute of Financial Management (LIFM) as a unit within the ministry. The plan was to offer short-term courses to ministry staff and a two-year program in financial management with the objective of graduating 30 students selected annually through competitive examination. The grant paid for staffing, trainee stipends, operating costs, the facility, equipment, training materials and a website. The financial management school was established to attract high-performing Liberians into the civil service. The program is linked with the University of Liberia, and students receive an MBA after successful completion of the program. Participants sign a contract to work in government for four years. They receive a new assignment after two years. To date, three groups of participants have completed the course with 82 participants working in the Ministry of Finance as well as in other line ministries. Source: IEG.
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Liberia Country Program Evaluation: 2004–2011