The long, and some say, rugged march to the country's decentralization process took another step last week in Buchanan City, Grand Bassa County. There, in the city's fairground, representatives from the across the country, including political parties, legislators and civil society organizations, gathered to continue brainstorming the tough questions surrounding the exercise of putting Liberia on the path to being a truly civilize nation.

At the core of this all important national discussion, is the task of decentralizing, restructuring and harmonizing national political boundaries. A key question to this future restructuring exercise is: 'What is a city?'      

What are those rudimentary requirements that makes, say, a 'city' like Cestos, in River Cess County, a city?  Does it have the basic amenities that provide basic services to its citizens?  For example, is there a bank or a hospital or electricity or pave roads or safe pipe borne drinking water? If the answer to these questions are no, than that 'city is not a 'city'.

Combined, the presenters, including MIA's Deputy Minister for Urban Affairs, Amos Tweh, Deputy Minister for Research & Development Planning, J. TiahNagbe, YarsuoWeh-Dorliae, Commissioner for Political & Legal Reforms at the Governance Commissioner and  Archie Delaine, GIS Specialist at the National Elections Commission, presented to the audience a not so pleasant but nevertheless, realistic picture of the local governance administrative structure of cities, townships, districts, clans and general townships of Liberia.

Animated and entertaining at times, presenters laid bare a rather grim visual and graphic illustrative analysis of what Liberia looks likes. County boundaries are over lapsing over one another. Segments of counties and districts that legally belong in a certain locale stretched into other districts and counties. 

According to the one of the graphs shown, Fish Town City in River Gee has a population of 3,328 and has no social or public services that qualifies it as a city, Cestos, in River Cess, has a population of 2,578. Bensonville or Bentol City in Montserrado County has4,089; Barclayville in Grand Kru County has 2,733

If  a city must have a population of at least 25,000 and a vibrant economy including all of the amenities mentioned, as proffered by one of the presenters, then onlyGbarnga (34,046), Buchanan 34,270) Lofa (26,594), Kakata (33,945) andVoinjama (26,594) qualifies as cities.

The Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) and the Governance Commission (GC) including other national and international stakeholders are in the forefront of this process and it is expected that the exercise will be held around the country to sensitize citizens before a final blue print is presented for implementation