Amara Mohamed Konneh Amara M. Konneh Minister of Finance Incumbent Assumed office 2012- President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf Personal details Born 7 December 1972 Gbarpolu County, Liberia Nationality Liberian Alma mater Drexel University Penn State University Harvard University Occupation Economist Religion Muslim Amara M. Konneh is the Minister of Finance of the Republic of Liberia (sworn into office in February 2012). Concurrently, he also serves as Liberias Acting Minister of Planning and Economic Affairs. Mr. Konneh is also National Coordinator of the Liberia Reconstruction and Development Committee that coordinates Liberia’s development agenda and successfully coordinated the implementation of the Lift Liberia Poverty Reduction Strategy from 2008 to 2011. He is also responsible for the drafting of Liberias long term development perspective and first national vision, known as Liberia RISING 2030. He is a graduate from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University where he received a Masters Degree in Public Administration with a concentration in political and economic development. Mr. Konneh is also the Chairman of the Mano River Union (MRU) Ministerial Council, the Vice Chairperson of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) Africa Group 1 Constituency and is the coordinator of all the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) activities in Liberia. He was named Finance Minister of the Year 2014 by The Banker magazine for his efforts to reform and grow the Liberian economy. Early Life and CareerEdit On December 7, 1972, Amara Konneh was born in Balla Bassa, Gbamah District, Gbarpolu County, Liberia to the late Majumah Konneh and the late Mamadee Konneh. He spent his formative years in Balla Bassa then moved to Monrovia in 1982 in order to commence is formal education. He graduated for Monrovia College (high school) in 1990.[1] Shortly after graduating high school, Amara Konneh became a refugee in Guinea, and established a free school for Liberian refugees. His leadership of the school led to an offer by the International Rescue Committee to serve as the Education Coordinator for Liberian and Sierra Leonean refugee schools throughout the Guinea Forest Region. He served in this capacity from 1991 - 1993 and supervised the development of 18 community schools, including the first high school in the Beyla Prefecture, and facilitated curriculum development, teacher training, and resource mobilization.[2] Upon emigration to the United States in 1993, he enrolled at Drexel University and earned a Bachelor of Sciences degree in Information systems, following which he earned a graduate degree in Management from Penn State University. After more than a decade of working with development foundations and as a policy, financial systems analyst and project manager at the Vanguard Group of Investment Companies in Pennsylvania, Konneh returned to Liberia to serve his country. Deputy Chief Staff ■ ■ ■ ■ Minister of Planning and Economic AffairsEdit In August 2008, Mr. Konneh was sworn in as Liberias Minister of Planning and Economic Affairs. He also served concurrently as the National Coordinator of the Liberia Reconstruction and Development Committee and the National Authorizing Officer of the European Development Fund for Liberia. Under his leadership, the implementation of the three year Lift Liberia Poverty Reduction Strategy (PRS I) was accelerated resulting to a successful conclusion. Mr. Konneh is a core member of President Johnson Sirleafs Economic Management Team and is credited with helping to stabilize the Liberian economy from the effects of a protracted civil war. His accomplishments included rebuilding the Ministry of Plannings internal capacity; unscrupulously implementing Liberias three -Year development strategy (2008-2011) Poverty Reduction Strategy that sought to enhance security revitalize the economy after years of conflict, rehabilitate infrastructure and resume the provision of basic services such as education, healthcare, water and sanitation services to the population; and improving governance and the rule of law. He is the architect of Liberias new long term development plan the Liberia RISING 2030 Vision, and a five-year Medium Term Development Strategy - the Agenda for Transformation ( PRS II 2012-2017). He is also credited for strengthening aid coordination mechanisms that has seen increased aid on budget; developing a ten year National Human Capacity Development Strategy to reverse Liberia’s brain drain; harmonizing the activities of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) with the national development agenda; and promoting the use of Information and Communication Technologies for Development (ICT4D) that led to the landing of a $25 million Africa Coast to Europe (ACE) fiber optic high speed Internet cable in Liberia.[6] As Liberias Alternate Governor to the World Bank and African Development Bank, Mr. Konneh played a key role in the waiver of Liberias US $4.6 billion debt. He also played a key role in the cancellation of Liberia’s US $170 million debt obligation to the Paris Club, a small group of creditor nations. One Konnehs major accomplishments as Minister of Planning and Economic Affairs was the development of Liberia’s three-year Millennium Challenge Account Threshold proposal and negotiated with the United States Millennium Challenge Corporation for the approval of a US$15 million grant to reform land rights and access, increase girls’ primary education completion rate, and develop a trade policy regime consistent with regional standards. He is also credited for leading the efforts to restore to the Government of Liberia full authorizing authority over budget support garnered from the European Union (EU) that was previously administered by the EU office in Abidjan as a result of the Liberian conflict.[5] Minister of FinanceEdit Upon the re-election of President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Mr. Konneh was nominated to the post of Minister of Finance and was confirmed by the Liberian Senate in February 2012. As Finance Minister, his priorities are: ■Investing in infrastructure - especially electricity; ■Investing in human capital formation; ■Accelerating economic growth via a clear strategy to leverage Liberias agricultural potential; ■Investing in developing the private sector, especially Liberian-owned businesses; ■Address the issues and concerns of Liberias youth; and ■Investing to create economic and political opportunities for all Liberians.[7] Mr. Konneh has also developed Liberias first medium-term budget.[8] He has made headlines for rooting out corruption within the Ministry of Finance and for championing the Open Budget Initiative.
Posted on: Thu, 06 Mar 2014 07:56:53 +0000