The Ministry of Internal Affairs has assured the National Black Caucus of Local Elected Officials (NBC-LEO) of the National League of Cities (NLC) of its commitment to moving forward with the forging of twin-city relationships between 26 Liberian cities and 36 American Cities. The American Liberian Twin-Cities Initiative (ALTCI) seeks capacity building cooperation in the areas of municipal governance (management training), culture and tourism, health and education, trade and investment, and material resources mobilization for the delivery of basic public services and improvement of quality of life.

In a dispatch from the United States of America, the Deputy Minister for Urban Affairs, Hon. Amos B. Tweh told the gathering of NBC-LEO Leaders and members meeting ( November 13-16) at the 2013 Annual Winter Conference of the National League of Cities (NLC Congress and Exposition)  in Seattle, Washington State, that the Liberian Government through the Ministry of Internal Affairs was grateful to NBC-LEO  for making Liberia its first international twin-city initiative despite strong interests expressed for the establishment of twin-city relationships by South Africa, Senegal, Nigeria, Equatorial Guinea, and other sub-Saharan African countries.

On behalf of Hon. Morris M. Dukuly, Minister of Internal Affairs, Hon. Tweh recounted the contributions of the American Government and people in peacekeeping and nation-building activities in Liberia; enjoined NBC-LEO members and their cities to fully engage themselves with Liberia as partners, friends and participants; and noted the historic ties between America and Liberia. He praised former NBC-LEO Presidents Deborah Delgado and Jacquelyn Johnson, NBC-LEO President Adam McFadden, NBC-LEO President-Elect James L. Walls, and ALTCI Facilitator Al Gbi Toe, Sr., for their demonstrated love, concern and care for the people of Liberia.

Deputy Minister Tweh identified the serious challenges facing Liberia after 14 years of civil war, and noted that against all odds the country was making significant progress in its governance portfolio and human development index under the dynamic leadership of Madam Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, President of the Republic of Liberia, who is very supportive of this twin-cities initiative. He also spoke highly of the Vice President of the Republic of Liberia, Hon. Joseph N. Boakai, for providing guidance to MIA in driving the urban development agenda in Liberia as well as supporting the American/Liberian Twin-Cities Initiative (ALTCI).

The concept of American Liberian Twin-Cities Initiative (ALTCI) was conceived by Al Gbi Toe, Sr., and nurtured on the American side by Mayor James L. Walls, President of the World Conference of Mayors (WCM) and then NBC-LEO President Deborah Delgado of Hattiesburg, Mississippi, and on the Liberian side by then MIA Minister Blamoh Nelson and former Deputy Minister Florence G. Dukuly.  The Liberian Government, through the Ministry of Internal Affairs, participated in 3 twin-cities talks at the WCM Leadership Conference ( October 2012) in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea;  NLC-NBC-LEO Winter Conference (November 2012) in Boston, USA and  NLC-NBC-LEO Winter Conference ( November 2013) in Seattle, USA

At the request and with the consent of NBC-LEO and the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Mr. Toe has been serving as the Facilitator of the American Liberian Twin-Cities Initiative (ALTCI) since 2012. He was given a standing ovation at the NBC-LEO meeting for his effective and efficient voluntary work, and hailed as a goodwill ambassador of the African-American community and Liberia (his homeland) by speakers representing MIA, NBC-LEO, and WCM.

According to Deputy Minister Tweh, the formal pairing of the American and Liberian cities will be made and announced in Monrovia by the President of Liberia, Madam Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, in a couple of months after the completion of negotiations and signing of required protocol and policy documents between NBC-LEO and Ministry of Internal Affairs, inter-agency consultations between MIA and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the passage of City Council Resolutions and signing of Municipal Agreements by participating American and Liberian cities. A high-level delegation of NBC-LEO and WCM delegation will travel to Liberia to expedite the process.