Stakeholders from the agriculture, coastal and energy sectors have assisted the Technology Needs Assessment (TNA) team with the identification of barriers, which would help to develop an enabling framework for the transfer, deployment and diffusion of prioritized technologies in Liberia.
The stakeholders, drawn from governmental ministries, departments and agencies, non-government organizations (NGOs), the private sector, technical experts and academics met recently at the second national stakeholder training workshop organized in Paynesville, outside Monrovia by the Environmental Protection Agency of Liberia (EPA) and UN Environment to assist the TNA Team with the identification of barriers.
The workshop, which was also organized in partnership with the UNEP-DTU Partnership involved consultation with stakeholders and included a stocktaking of previous national communications and climate change initiatives.
Speaking at the start of the training workshop, Benjamin S. Karmorh, coordinator for Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEA) said its important to identify technology that will enhance agriculture activities in Liberia.
He talked about traditional technologies, which according to him cannot be use outside of the country.
Mr. Karmorh said the Technology Center in Denmark is being engaged to provide some assistance to the country’s technologies need.
He underscored the need for women participation in the process and said “the role of women is important when it comes to technology.”
Mr. Karmorh lauded consultants on the project and asked participants to brainstorm.
Christopher B. Kabah, TNA coordinator said that Technology Needs Assessments are a set of activities that identify and analyse climate change mitigation and adaptation technology priorities of developing countries.
The process is a national driven and is implemented by a national TNA team. It considers stakeholder involvement in alignment with national development objectives and National Determined Contribution (NDC).
The Liberia TNA team, according to Mr. Kabah comprises of a core group of persons engaged in the TNA project and it includes the National TNA Coordinator, the National Climate Change Steering Committee (NCSSC), the National Consultants for Mitigation and Adaptation and the three Sectoral Working Groups (SWGs).
Mr. Kabah disclosed that there has been stakeholders’ engagement and indicated that the mapping of stakeholders took place during each stage of the TNA process.
“The first engagement was during the inception workshop held on 23rd – 26th October 2018 at the EPA Conference Hall in Monrovia, Liberia,” he explained.
He added that on 1st of April 2019, a national stakeholder’s TNA engagement workshop for the prioritization of technologies in Liberia was held at the Lutheran Church Compound on 13th Street in Sinkor, Monrovia.
Prior to the technology prioritization workshop, Mr. Kabah said the national consultants prepared and distributed technology factsheets to the stakeholders based on the prioritized sectors agreed upon at the Inception Workshop.