USAID/OTI Liberia Success Story
November 2006
USAID/OTI's BRDG-Liberia program was initiated in September 2006 to support the political transition prompted by the free and fair election of President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, the first democratically elected female head of state in Africa.
The Building Recovery and Reform through Democratic Governance (BRDG) program assists the Government of Liberia and other key actors to further the following political objectives:
- Improving capacity in such areas as planning, budgeting, communication, and coordination with relevant counterparts
- Mounting effective responses to high-visibility issues
- Strengthening the Mano River Union by supporting cooperative regional activities
The USAID Mission in Liberia, USAID's Africa Bureau, and the Office of Democracy and Governance are key players in the coordination of the BRDG program.
Spreading the Word through Community Radio
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| Journalists and radio producers from Radio Bomi in Tubmanburg enhance their reporting skills and learn about broadcast finance and administration. |
After years of media coverage characterized by inaccurate and unreliable information on local, national, and international issues and events, Liberia is once again beginning to reap the benefits of an independent media that can deliver accurate and reliable information to its people.
USAID's Office of Transition Initiatives (OTI) is supporting 43 radio journalists from Star Radio (Liberia's leading independent radio station) and three affiliate community radio stations in Buchanan, Tubmanburg, and Gbarnga through its BRDG-Liberia program. The program is providing professional training to help spread the word about peace, reconciliation, democracy, and nation building. The training will also help the journalists collect and manage important feedback from their target audiences, encouraging a positive dialogue about the issues facing Liberia today. An estimated 100,000 radio listeners from four major cities and the surrounding areas will benefit as a result of this exciting educational opportunity.
In addition, the project will strengthen the affiliate radio stations by providing training to journalists and producers on management practices for sustainable community radio and by providing broadcast equipment to improve technical capabilities. To date, two training exercises focusing on administrative and management procedures, bookkeeping, fundraising mechanisms, and effective reporting systems have been successfully completed.
Enthusiasm for this program has led to a community fundraising initiative to expand one of the affiliate radio stations. The station is located in the strategic central part of the country in a region that is home to Liberia's largest indigenous group.
Providing access to community radio will help engage Liberia's many unschooled citizens in the country's political and transitional process.
For further information, please contact:
In Washington: John Gattorn, Program Manager, 202-712-4168, jgattorn@usaid.gov
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