Disaster Agency seeks US$15 million

Liberia’s National Disaster Management Agency is requesting for US$15 million to effectively address disaster issues across the country.

By Emmanuel wise Jipoh

Monrovia, March 25, 2024-The Executive Director of the National Disaster Management Agency, Ansu Dulluy, requests a budgetary allotment of 15 Million United States Dollars to improve the Agency and help minimize disasters across the country.

Mr. Dulley stresses the need for the government and partners to invest in the Agency to combat, mitigate, and minimize disasters in this country.

He made the call during a briefing at the Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism in Monrovia.

Dulley, who recently took office, acknowledged confronting challenges at the Agency, including a lack of vehicles to swiftly respond to emergency cases and a low budgetary allotment.

He underscores incremental financial support in the agency’s annual budget; otherwise, he says, it would continue to lag behind in responding to disasters.

According to him, previous administrations had always allotted US$5 million annually for the Agency’s operations. Still, instead, $ 5,000 has always been approved and received by the NDMA management, something, he laments, is relatively insufficient to address disaster challenges.

He continues that such low budgetary approval usually narrow the space for effective workable responses to people in distress as a result of disaster. Editing by Jonathan Browne