KAKATA, Margibi – The Ministry of Transport has opened its annex at the Kakata service center in Margibi County. The annex was commissioned on Thursday by Transport Minister Angela Cassell Bush.

Speaking during the opening ceremony, Bush said the opening of the annex clearly manifests the government’s commitment to providing easy access to services in the country.

She said driver licenses, vehicle registrations, and other documents can now be issued in Kakata. She described the opening of the annex as an opportunity to improve the lives of citizens.

“Today, if you need to register your vehicles or obtain a valid driver’s license, you do not have to go to Monrovia. It is right here with you in Kakata, and it’s here to stay,” she said.

According to minister, the annex would also improve the quality and access of transportation related services in Monrovia by reducing the demand at the central office.

She also disclosed a plan to open another annex at the Grand Bassa County Service Center in Buchanan.

This initiative, Bush said, is the first time in the nation’s history that services are decentralized across the country.

Margibi Superintendent John Buway praised the Ministry of Transport for taking its services to the people of Margibi and nearby counties.

Buway said the action of the ministry would restore the hopes of citizens outside of Monrovia to feel the impact of their government. “Liberia is not Monrovia alone,” he said.

The Margibi Service Center was formally commissioned by President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf on Thursday, April 21, 2016 as part of the government’s decentralization platform. It is primarily intended to take services closer to rural dwellers and people outside of Monrovia.

The center is a one-stop shop for documents such as traditional and western marriage certificates, business registrations, and land deed registration.

Since it was commissioned, Buway said the center has generated over L$2 million (US$20,408) and over US$26,000 in revenue for the central government.

He, however, recommended that the Liberia Revenue Authority allocate a portion of the revenue generated to the center for fueling the generator that provides electricity for their operations.

He said it is difficult for the county authority alone to fuel a generator that uses more than 15 gallons of fuel daily. “Since we raised that amount in revenue at the center, nothing was left here to run the generator,” he said.

He praised the county’s legislative caucus for using a portion of the county development fund to fuel the generator since operations began at the service center.

Buway, at the same time, called on the Transport Ministry to give preference to qualified Margibi citizens for jobs at the service center.

Featured photo by Dairus Wheamie