The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), in collaboration with the Government of Liberia and development partners, convened a co-creation workshop bringing together government institutions, civil society organizations, development partners, consultants and other stakeholders to identify practical and transformational solutions to Liberia’s development challenges.

The workshop provided a platform for stakeholders to share knowledge, experiences and perspectives, review existing information, identify development gaps and contribute to the development of a shared development framework for Liberia.

Speaking at the workshop, Mr. Louis Kuukpen, UNDP Deputy Resident Representative, emphasized the importance of moving away from traditional approaches where development frameworks are designed by a limited number of actors and subsequently presented to stakeholders for validation.

He stressed that the co-creation process is intended to encourage government leadership, partnership, participation and joint ownership from the outset. “While consultants and technical experts are supporting the process, the resulting framework should ultimately reflect the priorities and aspirations of the Government and people of Liberia”, Kuukpen said.

Representing the Ministry of Health, Mr. Fohn T. Gborweah, Assistant Minister in the Office of the Deputy Minister for Economic Affairs, expressed appreciation for the opportunity to participate in the co-creation process. He highlighted the importance of strengthening health systems, improving access and equity, and ensuring that development interventions contribute to better outcomes for communities.

Mr. Paul Gboya, Senior Economist in the Office of the Deputy Minister for Economic Management in the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning (MFDP), welcomed the initiative and emphasized the importance of government leadership and ownership throughout the process.

He highlighted the need to ensure that emerging priorities are aligned with national development planning and contribute to stronger coordination among government institutions, development partners and other stakeholders.

Moving Projects to Transformational Programmes

A key focus of the workshop was the need to move beyond fragmented and isolated projects towards coordinated, strategic and transformational programmes capable of generating sustainable results.

Participants examined areas including sustainable livelihoods, the green and blue economies, education, economic development, social development and other sectors with potential to contribute to Liberia’s long-term transformation.

The co-creation process will also assess existing programmes and initiatives to identify what is working, where gaps remain, opportunities for scaling up successful interventions, and areas requiring stronger coordination and additional technical support.

The workshop underscored the importance of ensuring that Liberia’s development priorities are aligned with relevant national development frameworks, strategic plans and the United Nations Cooperation Framework (UNCF).

Participants emphasized that effective development cooperation requires the active participation of government, development partners, civil society organizations, communities, the private sector and other relevant stakeholders.

Moving Dialogue to Action

The workshop concluded with agreement on several next steps, including completing the gap analysis, preparing and circulating the draft framework for stakeholder review, incorporating feedback and convening a validation workshop.

Stakeholders also committed to maintaining engagement throughout the process and ensuring that the final framework reflects the collective priorities and perspectives of those involved.

The workshop reaffirmed that co-creation is not simply about bringing stakeholders together, but about ensuring that their knowledge, experiences and perspectives meaningfully influence the outcome.