Liberia: WONGOSOL Advances Gender-Responsive Budgeting at National Consultation - FrontPageAfrica

Monrovia – The Women NGOs Secretariat of Liberia (WONGOSOL) hosted a major national-level consultation aimed at strengthening women’s participation in the national budget process and ensuring their priorities are fully reflected in policy and resource allocation.

Held at the Capitol Building on December 10, 2025, the engagement brought together the House Committees on Ways, Means & Finance and Health, the Women’s Legislative Caucus, other lawmakers, and county women leaders. The forum provided county representatives with a platform to directly engage national legislators on issues affecting women across all fifteen counties, promoting more inclusive legislative oversight.

As part of the initiative, alumnae of the Women’s Democracy School shared experiences from regional engagements and presented recommendations emerging from county consultations. Supported under the Liberia Elections Support Project, the consultation offered a vital avenue for advancing women’s priorities in national decision-making.

WONGOSOL presented key findings from its Gender-Responsive Budgeting Report, analyzing the 2026 national budgets for the Ministries of Health; Youth and Sports; Gender, Children and Social Protection; and Agriculture. The report highlights gaps in essential services for women, including limited access to quality maternal and reproductive healthcare, poor farm-to-market roads, and insufficient support for small-scale women farmers.

Giving an overview, Executive Director Madam Esther S. D. Yango emphasized the need for increased government investment in sectors that directly impact women and girls.

“This engagement marks a significant milestone in strengthening gender-responsive budgeting and ensuring the needs, voices, and priorities of women, youth, and other marginalized groups are reflected in national planning and resource allocation,” she said.

Responding to the findings, Hon. Mike P. Jurry, Chair of the National Budget Committee, reaffirmed the committee’s commitment to inclusive budgeting and noted the use of tools to assess whether budgets are gender-responsive.

“As a HeForShe, I have worked since the 54th Legislature to ensure inclusive budgeting. In the 55th, there is a need for more training for new lawmakers unfamiliar with gender-responsive budgeting,” he said. “Including women in national priorities is essential because women are partners.”

Also speaking, Hon. Foday Fahnbulleh encouraged civil society organizations to strengthen engagement with line ministries and the Ministry of Finance.

“CSOs must go beyond. We need to work directly with ministries so they understand where to prioritize while drafting the budget. We cannot support what was never placed in the budget, we can only shift,” he added.

Highlighting county-level challenges, Atty. Sondah Geepea Wilson of Nimba County, an alumna of the Women’s Democracy School, presented consolidated recommendations calling for increased budgetary support for women, children, and youth. She outlined challenges related to political participation, healthcare, agriculture, road connectivity, and women’s economic empowerment.

The consultation forms part of ongoing efforts to strengthen collaboration between women’s organizations and national leaders, ensuring women play a central role in shaping policy and development decisions.

Lawmakers from the Budget Committee, including Marie Johnson and Hon. Mike P. Jurry, joined county women leaders and representatives of the Federation of Liberian Youth.

WONGOSOL reaffirms its commitment to amplifying women’s voices and promoting gender-responsive governance across Liberia.