Liberia's New National Development Strategy : Planning for Stronger Results in a Low Capacity Context

Fragile countries face deep institutional constraints that require attention to achieve better development outcomes for their citizens. Underlying issues such as fragmented development efforts across sectors, limited capacity to drive change and lack of multi-stakeholder ownership weaken the possibility for results. Without addressing these constraints progress can be slowed or blocked. When World Bank Institute (WBI) partnered with the Government of Liberia and World Bank regional team to support the country s second Poverty Reduction Strategy (PRS), the objectives were to improve the capacity to formulate an effective, country-led and -owned PRS using practical, collaborative results tools; design the PRS to drive institutional change processes in the Liberia context; and integrate national planning, monitoring and budgetary processes around common development outcomes toward the country s new vision. The second Liberia PRS, the agenda for transformation, takes first steps in these directions. The government developed the PRS by engaging with a wide set of stakeholders and basing the strategy on achieving outcomes. The strategy is framed around addressing constraints to institutional change and integrates previously fragmented development efforts. Liberia s experience creates its strategy offers lessons for Liberia, other countries, WBI and the World Bank around how to conduct effective strategic planning for results in a low capacity and fragile context.