Cities Alliance Annual Report 2018

An extremely
important
component of
the Country
Programme’s solid
waste activities
involves raising
awareness around
solid waste
management,
both in Greater
Monrovia’s schools
as well as among
the general public.
By the end of 2018, the first 10 projects had been identified to build schools, water
points, and community meeting halls. In the first phase, the Cities Alliance Liberia
team is currently implementing four of these projects: a kindergarten in West Point
community (NV Massaquoi School), construction of a classroom block in New Kru
town (Tomorrow Children School), three water kiosks in the King Peter community,
and three water kiosks in the Popo Beach community. By 2019, the Monrovia team
expects to have 20 CUF projects up and running.
Focusing on solid waste collection, management, and waste-toenergy
The Liberia Country Programme has focused on services as a means of generating
work and energy within Monrovia’s economy. Based on the programme’s initial
successes, the European Union provided €5.9 m (US $7 million) in funding for two
projects on Primary Waste Collection, Solid Waste Management, and Waste-to-
Energy options for Greater Monrovia. These projects are implemented directly by the
Cities Alliance in-country team.
Producing analysis to inform the solid waste projects
The Country Programme will initially undertake three studies to inform the solid
waste activities. The first will address recycling and composting, looking at
issues such as what percentage of the waste can be composted or recycled, and
construction feasibility of sorting stations. A second study will focus on vertical and
horizontal expansion of Community-based Enterprises engaged in the primary waste
collection beyond Monrovia to Paynesville and the townships of Greater Monrovia. A
third will study waste-to-energy initiatives that can be applied to Liberia.
Building capacity for solid waste management
One of the key focus areas for the Country Programme is building the capacity of
local and national government officials in solid waste planning and management.
Urban practitioners in Liberia’s cities have highlighted the need for capacity building
to address and effectively manage solid waste and urban issues in Greater Monrovia.
In 2019, Cities Alliance will engage a Liberian institution to jointly design and
develop a training programme.
Raising awareness of solid waste in the community
To have a sustainable solid waste management system, all stakeholders must be
aware of the dangers of dumping their waste, how manage it effectively, and where
to dispose of it. Therefore, an extremely important component of the solid waste
activities involves raising awareness around solid waste management, both in
Greater Monrovia’s schools as well as among the general public.
In 2018, five schools were selected for the initial intervention, and an assessment
was completed to understand waste management gaps in schools. The next step
is to develop training modules to educate the students on solid waste issues, and
ultimately develop and implement projects based on the experience.
Support for the Association of Mayors
As agreed with United Cities and Local Governments of Africa (UCLGA), Cities
Alliance Country Programmes always seek to support and strengthen national
associations of local governments. The Liberia Country Programme has therefore
been a staunch supporter of the Association of Mayors and Local Government
Authorities of Liberia (AMLOGAL), helping to launch and establish the association in
2017. In 2018, the Cities Alliance funded a knowledge exchange trip to Rwanda and
supported AMLOGAL in developing a five-year strategic plan.
Through AMLOGAL, Cities Alliance has also sought to bring all local government
stakeholders together for increased dialogue and learning. This space allows the
local governments to learn about Country Programme activities – such as the CUF,
profiling, and engagement with traders – and replicate them. For example, when
Buchanan city learned that street traders and the Monrovia City Council had entered
into an MoU, it expressed interest in engaging its own street traders in a similar
agreement.
Annual Report | 2018 15