1. TRANSFORMING TOMORROW BY
TRUST AND TRANSPARENCY- STRATEGIC BLUE PRINT
FOR LIBERIA’S VISION 2030
1. Introduction. Transforming Tomorrow and VISION 2030 are
corresponding to each other. ‘I SUPPORT VISION 2030, Our Vision-My
Future’– a slogan touched many hearts of Liberians and so of mine. Key
theme of this 18-year development plan is to raise Liberia to the status of a
middle-income country by 2030. Passion of Loving the Liberian Children and
wonderful experience in 2005-2006 and 2012-2013 aroused my Critical
Reasoning and Creative Thinking and dragged me to pickup this research.
Trust and Transparency are identified by this study as core cultural issue
that decides success or failure of the vision. In this very short inscribe it will
only be possible to draw a sketch of that strategy. In doing so, strategic
management process, campaign planning tools, effect based operations and
core culture will be analyzed.
3. Aim. To combine the Strategy of Business and Military Strategy to
create a suitable model for Liberian’s Vision 2030. Sketch a Strategic Outline
Plan with meticulous emphasis on Action Plan, which will strengthen the
Event Management for the same vision.
4. Retrospect, Future Plan and Present State. Being the first
independent country of Africa, Liberia is one of the poorest of the world.
After the independence in 1847 Liberia was crawlling under the leadership of
Americo Liberian presidents untill 1980. Then the country of liberty
experienced noumber of turmoils, unrest and military coup started by
Samuel doe. She was once suported by ECOWAS in 1990 but again engaged
in civil war, which terminated in 2003 with UN intervension. With the
presence of United Nations Liberia’s security situation is calm, stable and
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2. peaceful. But the questain remains will she be able to enjoy lasting peace
once the UN leaves this Lone Star?
5. Liberia is currently ranked as the fourth poorest nation in the worldi
.
This is a contradiction in a country with abundance of natural resource
reserve and sparse population density. The inequality speaks of the
immediate difficulty in working out the vision within the timeframe. The
required framework are part of the larger criteria of economic development
which include enforced rules and law, good governance, institutions,
infrastructures, security, capital, skilled labor and purchasing power etc. By
the economic development at the middle income level, people are neither
poor nor rich, but their incomes can provide basic life needs. Current level of
management in the public and private sectors; psychology and culture has
to be changed for the strategic fit.
6. Blending Literature and Experience.
a. Strategy. Review from Strategic business management and
military strategy will help us grasping the issue easily. Strategy
Approaches for Future, External Environment, Good Fit and
Contentious Progress. Dr. Margolis1
suggests to ensure the strategy is
aligned with culture, and build a strategically-directed, productive and
energized workforce. We can then blend the knowledge with Liberia
those are discussed below:
b. UN in Campaign Planning. Strategy in its simplistic terms is
ends ways and means. To reach the desired end state we need to
attain Centre of Gravity (CG) (Poverty Eradication) through Critical
Capability (CC) and Critical Requirement (CR). Liberia needs to
develop the Critical Capability on Governance/Rule of Law, Security,
Economic Revitalization and Infrastructure and Basic Social Needs
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3. which were used as Strategic Goals. In all these strategic movement
we need to continuously focus on Critical Vulnerability (CV) which is
basically Mistrust and Gap between leaders and led.
Fig 3: Strategy (Ends, Ways and Means) in Campaign Planning Tools
If we can address Critical Vulnerability properly by successful leaders,
we will be able to able to secure Critical Requirement which will
ultimately lead to achieve Critical Capability and finally to Center of
Gravity. Once we capture Centre of Gravity automatically we reach
End State and Liberia becomes the Middle Income Country. The same
way Liberia can leap forward for vision 2050 and transform into an
advanced nation.
3
CC
GOVERNANCE
CC
ECONOMIC
REVITALIZATION
CC
INFRASTRUCTURE AND
BASIC SOCIAL SERVICES
SOUND
MIND SET
IN ALL
STRATEGIC,
OPERATIONAL
AND
TACTICAL
LEVELS
CC
SECURITY
CR
CV
MISTRUST
& GAP-
LEADER &
LED
CG
Poverty
Eradication
2030-
MIDDLE
INCOME
ECONOMY
ENDSMEANWAYS

4. c. Effect Based Operation for HRM. E. A. Smith defines "Effect
based operations (EBO) are coordinated sets of actions directed at
shaping the behavior of friends, foes, and neutrals in peace, crisis and
war1
. EBO is founded upon a new scientific appreciation of complexity
and system-of-systems theory that challenges one to think beyond the
linear; and thirdly it calls upon (indeed, relies upon) new
manifestations of technology. Though applicable for military strategy,
it also has implications for operations other than war, and for National
strategy. The effects-based approach is of as much relevance to
'winning- peace' as it is to winning war. EBO occurs mainly in three
domains, namely, physical, information and cognitive domain. In
Liberia we need to play in cognitive domain through information
domain to change physical domain (Human Resource Management/
Capacity Building).
d. Industrial Organizational and Sociological approach.
Industrial organizational approach is based on economic theory and
deals with issues such as competition, resource allocation and
economies of scale. It assumes rationality and targets profit
maximization. Sociological approach deals primarily with human
interactions and assumes bounded rationality, satisfying behavior and
service. We need to utilize sociological strategic approach for Liberia
Vision 2030 by improving service to interact with human and satisfying
them. This is only possible by an exact SWOT Analysis.
e. SWOT - A Critical Reasoning through Experience.
Evaluating strengths, weaknesses, (internal factor) opportunity and
threat (external factors) is called SWOT analysis. It forms the nucleus
of strategic Planning. Vibrating experience of communicating with all
1
Smith, Edward. A, Effect Based Operations, Appling Network Centric Warfare in Peace, Crisis, and War,
Center for Advance Concepts and Technology, DOD Command and Control Research Program, USA, Nov 2002 p10.
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5. levels of Liberian in 2005-2006 and 2012-2013 is the driving force of
deducing the following (many will have different view.
(1) Strengths. (a) Abundance of natural resources like gold,
diamond, iron ore, timber, rubber, gas and oil, unused land and
unexplored ocean. (b) Presence of UN which is being downsized.
(b) Diplomatic relations with USA is also a great source of
strength for Liberia. (d) Strength in Liberian’s characteristics is
they are very simple, pleasure seeking, amusement loving,
which makes them forget past and present agonies (like a child).
(e) Small community.
(2) Weaknesses. There are no of weaknesses, which are
the main impediment for the progress. (a) Transformation is not
taking place because of absence of tomorrow’s thought. People
are busy with today only, not thinking about tomorrow or day
after. To them ‘tomorrow never Comes (b) Gold Mine inside each
personality is covered by today’s thought only, lack in Self
Esteem turned into in-confidence, self-doubting and anxiety. (c)
Fourteen years of negative life style knocked the mental
stability. (d) Poverty drives to meet physiological needs,
overlooking social needs like love and belongings. (e) Lack of
Mutual Trust in Distribution of Wealth increased the Gap between
Leader and Led. (f) Men are not hardworking and again they
consume all money very shortly by drinking and enjoying (Abuse
of Western Culture of Drinking. (g) Most of the ordinary people
are uneducated and unskilled, unconfident and believes in
individualism, meaning no unity of effort/ team work. (h) 55 %
of the people are indigenous, who are superstitious, believe in
heart man, witchdoctor and mastery on witchcrafts. (i) Some
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6. wired people believe, raping and killing is a source of spiritual
power which can accelerate to higher social position. (j)
Traditional bush school does not include any Literacy Education
Program for the girls. (k) Life threat of man in the past made the
women prime mover (income) of the family. (l) But women are
vulnerable to early pregnancy and over burden with number of
children and very low income. (m) Absence of infrastructure to
attract foreign investors and very high rental cost. (n) There are
further deficiencies in higher echelons i.e. lack of transparency,
diplomacy, policy making and openness of the country.
(3) Opportunity. (a) Intellectuals of UN are the great
sources of knowledge and experience. (b) Softening up the mind
and opening up to the world poses a great opportunity, which
can make Liberia to be a model in Africa. (c) Successful model
like Malaysia also presents an opportunity to follow. (d)
Processing the natural resources before extort presents
opportunity to be industrialized. (e) In 2030 new generation’s
age will be 27 years who did not experience the black history.
(4) Threat. (a) Liberian’s are exposed to external threat
like defense mechanism. (b) Aggressive foreign policy (if there is
any) of neighbor and advance nations towards Liberia is also
great threat. (c) Global Economic Recession is a threat to
progress for time being.
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7. Strategic Planning-Outline Plan
a. Core Culture. Core Cultureii
= Purpose (Transform Tomorrow) +
Philosophy (Trust and Transparency) + priority (Trustiii
) (Fig 2
illustrates the correlations). A strategic plan will fail if it is not
supported by these prime principles of the Core Culture. As it is told
culture eats strategy like breakfast.
iv
Fig 1. Culture and strategy
b. Strategic Goals. United Nations Mission in Liberia’s Military
Observers mainly works in four pillars of Named Area of Interest
(NAI), namely, Governance/ Rule of Law, Security, Economic
Revitalizations and finally Infrastructure and Basic Social Servicev
. If
we hold them good as 100% attainable Strategic Goals, now we only
need to set specific, quantifiable perimeters.
c. Strategic Priorities. Strategic Priorities are part of the Core Culture.
These are the principles and values that can change because their
function is to align the Core Culture with the current strategy. Core
Culture must align with and drive the strategy.
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8. Fig 2: Vision 2030 with Strategic Goals and Core Culture
d. Action Plan- A Creative Thinking. A Strategic Level Long Term Action
Plan with measures to performance needs to be build with a clear
understanding of the Core Culture, Vision and Strategic Goals. Four
multiple years plan like 2013-2015, 2016-2020, 2021-2025 and 2026-
2030 might start with first three years. From 2013 to 2015 Government
should be able to establish 100% Governance/ Rule of Law by reforming
Law Enforcing Agencies, Judicial System, Public Administration, Informal
Power Structure, Governance, Public Sector Institutions, and Non-
Government Actors etc. For initial capacity building ‘ABC’ might be a
Motto for first three years, when A stand for Ability, B stands for
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9. Beautify, C stands for Clarityvi
. If we succeed, next three five years plan
may work as the table below:
S Pillar 2015 2020 2025 2030 Mottovii
1 Governance/Rule of
Law
100% ‘ABC’-Trust &
Turn into Gold
2 Security 80% 100% Transforming
Tomorrow
3 Economic
Revitalization
60% 80% 100% Bridge Across
Atlantic-Diplomacy
4 Infrastructure and
Basic Social Needs
30% 60% 90% 100% Happy Liberia
Table 1: Four Multiple Years Strategic Plan
Action plan will encompass mobilization of strengths/ resources, which
includes Diplomatic, natural, environmental and most importantly
human resources. In Human Resources Development/Capacity Building
‘Sanwin Trust Model Town’ with Children, Youth and Women Clubs and
Multimedia School can be one of the simulations. Main Effort should be
to Connect People with Ideas, Technology, Knowledge, Light and
Wisdom. (Needs Diplomatic Coverage, Strategic Back Upviii
, Tieix
, and
Supportx
). Motivate Liberian for a strategic change/shift to ensure Good
Fit for 2015 and finally 2030. Most Important task is to propagate the
Strategic Action Plan through mass media like radio, web site, mobile
sms, booklet, and sticker etc to every citizen to change attitude and
perception, ‘Trustxi
-Turn into Gold-Discover the Gold in You’. This must
to be contentious process to make the strategy everlasting- everlasting
progress. Research must continue to keep the Dream alive in university
and national level by addressing the weakness, grab opportunity and
counter the threats.
e. Turn goals into measurable results. Strategic Goals are and
their sub sets has to be marked into a measurable/quantifiable output.
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10. Accurate ground data is essential to measure the progress. These
measurable variables (ground data) will be consigned to complex
matrix to check the progress and stare whenever needed. Continue
aligning people and processes to the Core Culture and Strategy
through Strategic Change.
8. Implementing Strategy. We need to (a) Design Organizational
Structure, (b) Strategic Control System, (c) Matching Structure and Control
to Strategy and finally, (d) Implement Strategic Change to realize our Vision
2030 transforming into middle Income Economic Country. In successful
society, there is a clearly defined and shared Core Culture that guides the
behavior of members as they interact with each other as well as with others
outside the association.
7. Conclusion. The charisma and character needed in this era is
progressive pan-African leadership that will work out home grown solutions to
development challenges at the same time rationalizing foreign aids with local
demands and traditions and culture. A leadership of such will in the long run
create a vibrant and self-sustainable state that will need no foreign aid and
imported ideas. Such leadership will require strong economic event
management and resistance to the numerous unfit tool-kits of governance.
Can Liberia build such a character in its leadership and work towards a middle
income economy? We can if can go ‘back to the basic’ come out of the war
psychology go back to work and drink tomorrow.
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11. i
Ibrahim Al-Bakri Nyei. Liberia Vision 2030: Towsards a Middle-Income Economy.
http://www.theperspective.org
ii
Sheila L. Margolis, PhD President, Workplace Culture Institute
iii
Vision 2030 is originated from amongst the people, and its promulgation is people driven as well.
iv
http://hni.com/what-we-do/business-advisory/culture-strengthening/
v
SOP
vi
LT (N) IAN MCCOLLEY, LT COL MOHD AKIB AND MAJ WAHID’s discussion on 28 Dec 2012.
vii
‘ABC’-Trust & Turn into Gold, Transforming Tomorrow, Diplomatic Bridge Across Atlantic and Happy Liberia
might be the mottos for Vision 2030.
viii
Chief CIMIC of UNMIL, Liberian Government (Hon. Representative Gabrial Buchanan Smith).
ix
USA’s Foreign Policy towards Liberia and Liberian Foreign Policy towards USA, Africa and rest of the world.
x
AML, BRE, LAC should come forward with Corporate Social Responsibilities to build models.
xi
In God we Trust- may be one of the Ideas.