Gonet Academy, Gender Ministry Seal Training Deal for 85 Staff
—The partnership expands Gonet Academy’s public-sector capacity-building portfolio, building on previous engagements with government institutions, regulators and private-sector organizations.
Gonet Academy has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection (MGCSP) to provide professional and technical training for 85 ministry employees in a seven-month initiative aimed at strengthening workforce competencies, improving institutional performance and enhancing public service delivery.
The agreement, signed Wednesday at the Ministry’s headquarters at the Ministerial Complex in Congo Town, will run from November 2026 to May 2027. It represents another expansion of Gonet Academy’s engagement in institutional capacity development and reflects growing collaboration between Liberian training institutions and public-sector organizations seeking to improve the skills and effectiveness of their workforce.
The MOU was signed on behalf of the Ministry by Hon. Garmai S. Tokpah, Deputy Minister for Children and Social Protection, representing the Minister and the Ministry, while Mohammed Kerkulah, Founder and Chief Empowerment Officer of Gonet Academy, signed on behalf of the institution.
Under the agreement, 85 employees drawn from the Ministry’s Administration, Children and Social Protection, Gender, and Research, Policy and Planning departments will participate in three professional development pathways.
Thirty-five employees will enroll in the Foundation Certificate Program (FCP), another 35 in the Professional Diploma Program (PDP), while 15 will undertake the Comprehensive Professional Program (CPP).
The arrangement is structured to provide training opportunities at different professional levels, allowing beneficiaries to strengthen their technical knowledge, administrative capabilities and leadership competencies in areas relevant to their respective responsibilities.
The partnership will cover 15 areas of professional and technical development, including Asset and Investment Management; Database Administration and Management; Human Resource Management; Microsoft Office Productivity; Monitoring and Evaluation; Office Administration and Management; Procurement, Logistics and Supply Chain Management; Project Management; Office Administration and Executive Support; Gender and Development; Financial Management; Internal Audit and Control; Strategic Planning and Resource Mobilization; Public Sector Planning, Policy and Development; and Technical Report Writing.
The areas reflect a combination of administrative, financial, managerial, digital and sector-specific competencies considered important to the effective operation of public institutions.
The training, for the ministry, is expected to strengthen the professional capacity of employees responsible for supporting programs and services relating to gender equality, child protection, social protection and institutional administration.
Implementation will be conducted in phases, with periodic progress reports and a comprehensive final assessment report intended to document participants’ performance, learning outcomes and achievements.
This monitoring and reporting component is particularly important because the success of institutional training is not measured solely by the number of employees enrolled or certificates awarded, but also by the extent to which acquired competencies translate into improved workplace performance.
Providing an overview of the engagement, Mr. Torga Tarpeh outlined the Ministry’s institutional interest in strengthening workforce capacity through continuous professional development.
He explained that the Ministry has been pursuing opportunities to identify existing capacity gaps and connect employees with relevant training interventions to improve professional competencies and institutional effectiveness.
Tarpeh also referenced the Ministry’s existing engagement with several academic and professional training institutions, including Gonet Academy, the Liberia Institute of Public Administration (LIPA), the University of Liberia (UL) and the African Methodist Episcopal University (AMEU), through which employees have been referred for professional development opportunities.
He expressed optimism that the agreement with Gonet Academy would provide a more structured framework for collaboration and implementation, strengthening the Ministry’s broader workforce development efforts.
The engagement reflects an institutional recognition that the delivery of effective public services depends substantially on the knowledge, technical capabilities and professional conduct of the employees responsible for implementing government policies and programs.
Gonet reaffirms commitment to institutional capacity development
Speaking on behalf of Gonet Academy, Founder and Chief Empowerment Officer Mohammed Kerkulah commended the Ministry’s leadership for prioritizing employee development and acknowledged the Government of Liberia’s efforts to strengthen public-sector institutions.
Kerkulah emphasized the importance of equipping public servants with practical competencies that can improve workplace performance, promote professionalism and accountability, strengthen decision-making and contribute to more effective service delivery.
He reaffirmed Gonet Academy’s commitment to complementing government-led capacity-building initiatives through practical, career-oriented education and training interventions responsive to institutional needs.
The CEO also expressed appreciation for the Ministry’s confidence in the Academy and welcomed the opportunity for a Liberian professional training institution to contribute to the development of public-sector personnel.
His remarks underscored the importance of stronger collaboration between government institutions and local training providers, particularly as Liberia continues to pursue improvements in institutional efficiency, human capital development and public service delivery.
The agreement with the Gender Ministry is not Gonet Academy’s first engagement involving institutional workforce development. It builds on a series of partnerships and sponsored training initiatives undertaken by GonetAfrica and Gonet Academy across Liberia’s public, private and civil society sectors.
One notable public-sector engagement occurred in July 2025, when GonetAfrica signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Independent Information Commission (IIC). The partnership focused on strengthening transparency, data governance and implementation of the Freedom of Information framework. Under the arrangement, the Commission sponsored nine employees for professional development during Gonet Academy’s Cohort 13, covering areas including Human Resource Management, Project Management, Monitoring and Evaluation, Public Relations and Customer Service.
In December 2025, GonetAfrica also partnered with the Bureau of State Enterprises (BSE) to deliver a four-day Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) training for heads of 14 departments in Buchanan, Grand Bassa County. The intervention, held from December 15–18, was designed to strengthen compliance, internal controls, operational coordination and accountability as the institution prepared for its transition into the State-Owned Enterprises Authority of Liberia.
The training exposed participants to relevant governance and regulatory frameworks, including the Public Financial Management Act, the Public Procurement and Concessions Act, Internal Audit Agency regulations and General Auditing Commission guidelines. Practical exercises were also incorporated to help departmental heads apply standard procedures to operational challenges.
The Academy’s institutional partnerships have also extended to regulatory bodies and private-sector organizations.
In 2025, the Liberia Agricultural Commodities Regulatory Authority (LACRA) sponsored 19 employees for training in Project Management, QuickBooks Essentials, Human Resource Management and Public Relations. The Agricultural and Industrial Training Bureau (AITB) sponsored 20 employees across certificate and diploma programs in Monitoring and Evaluation, Procurement, Project Management and Digital Productivity Skills.
In the private sector, GT Bank Liberia Limited sponsored 21 employees from nine departments for professional development in disciplines including Internal Audit, Banking and Finance, Human Resource Management, Project Management, Customer Service, Marketing and Digital Productivity.
Beyond government and corporate institutions, Gonet Academy also collaborated with the Swedish Association for Sexuality Education and the Embassy of Sweden in Liberia to deliver a 12-day Financial Management Capacity Strengthening Training for 19 participants representing 11 civil society organizations.
The Academy’s 2025 institutional partnership report indicated that more than 110 sponsored professionals benefited from its strategic training collaborations during that year. The engagements demonstrate an expanding model of institutional capacity development that combines technical training, professional education and organizational strengthening.
Gonet Academy’s growing partnership portfolio has coincided with significant expansion in its training operations.
As highlighted in the Academy’s 2025 Annual Report, the institution trained 2,762 learners across three cohorts during the year, recording a 90 percent overall completion rate and bringing its cumulative number of trained professionals since 2021 to more than 5,000.
The Gender Ministry agreement provides an opportunity to strengthen that connection between professional training and measurable institutional results through its phased implementation, participant monitoring and final assessment requirements.
The initiative carries particular significance for the ministry because its employees support programs and services affecting women, children and vulnerable populations across Liberia.
Improved competencies in areas such as financial management, procurement, database administration, monitoring and evaluation, gender and development, and strategic planning could strengthen the Ministry’s ability to manage resources, coordinate programs, monitor interventions and support policy implementation.
Gonet Academy’s implementation commitments, particularly practical assessments, progress reporting and final evaluation, provide a framework for monitoring these dimensions.
Gonet Academy staff members who also attended the signing ceremony on Wednesday were Antoinette N. Nimely, Human Resources Manager; Charles G. Kpan, Jr., Strategy, Partnerships and Institutional Development Lead; Levi Singbeh, Marketing, Brand and Communications Lead; Jocial F. Roberts, Executive Assistant; and Christina G. Heah, Content and Media Assistant.
Their participation reflected the Academy’s institutional involvement in partnership development, implementation coordination and communications.
As implementation gets underway, the agreement places both institutions before a shared responsibility ensuring that the training translates into stronger professional competencies and practical improvements within the Ministry.
The MOU, for Gonet Academy, further consolidates a partnership-driven approach to professional education and institutional development. For the Ministry, it presents an opportunity to strengthen the capabilities of employees whose responsibilities directly affect the delivery of essential public services.
The broader significance of the agreement lies in a principle increasingly central to institutional reform— strong public institutions require capable people, effective systems and continuous investment in professional development.
