The Director General of the Central Agricultural Research Institute (CARI), near Gbranga, Bong County, has unveiled a comprehensive reform agenda.
The aimed, according to Dr. Arthur Bob Karnuah, is to restore professionalism, accountability and trust at the country’s only agricultural research institution.
“The move is to also reclaim the integrity and purpose of CARI,” Karnuh said.
He painted a grim picture of CARI’s previous state, describing the Suakoko-based institution in Bong County as one that had been “engulfed in crisis.”
Dr. Karnuah spoke with journalists over the weekend in Monrovia, citing administrative breakdown, political interference, chronic staff absenteeism and an overall lack of professionalism as key issues that crippled CARI before President Joseph Nyuma Boakai appointed him.
“The institution’s mandate of executing adaptive and applied research was never achieved,” Dr. Karnuah said.
“Farmers were denied access to relevant, science-based information due to the toxic environment and administrative paralysis that plagued CARI for years.”
One of the most pressing challenges inherited by the current administration, according to Karnuah, was the politicization of staffing decisions.
He explained further that unqualified individuals were recruited into key positions based on political connections rather than expertise, a practice that severely undermined the quality of research and operations.
This, he said, led to widespread job abandonment, with many employees only showing up at the end of the month to collect salaries.
In response, the Karnuah-led administration has launched a series of reforms to restore order and efficiency.
These include the implementation of a biometric attendance system to monitor staff presence and ensure regularity.
The institute is now partnering with the Civil Service Agency (CSA) to enforce salary deductions for unexcused absences, reinforcing a culture of accountability.
“We have regularized staff meetings and instituted strict policies against irregular attendance and job abandonment,” Dr. Karnuah said, “Discipline is now the new order at CARI.”
He also addressed the erosion of donor confidence under previous administrations, which he said, was a result of “mismanagement and financial improprieties.”
Some international partners had either severed ties with CARI or demanded restitution of misused funds before continuing their collaboration.
“We had to restitute funds to two key donors,” he acknowledged. “But today, I am proud to report that donor confidence is being restored.
Our partners are returning, and new collaborative opportunities are on the horizon.”
The revitalization of donor relationships is a critical step in ensuring sustainable funding for research and development in the country’s agriculture sector. This, accordingly, is to ensure that research findings are accessible and actionable for farmers and stakeholders.
These lines are open for inquiries, feedback, and collaboration from farmers, agricultural cooperatives, food processors, partners, and the general public.
The site is part of the institute’s renewed commitment to public engagement and information sharing.
CARI has now fully aligned with the Government’s Service Delivery Charter (SDC), an initiative under the Cabinet Secretariat at the Ministry of State for Presidential Affairs.
The institute’s participation reflects its commitment to transparent, result-oriented service delivery in line with Pres. Boakai’s ARREST Agenda, which stands for agriculture, roads, rule of law, education, sanitation and tourism.
“We are not just rebuilding an institution; we are reviving a national vision,” Dr. Karnuah emphasized.
“Farmers here deserve access to relevant, science-based agricultural innovations.
CARI will once again become a credible and competent institution driving food security and agricultural transformation.
Under Dr. Karnuah’s leadership, CARI appears poised for a turnaround that could play a pivotal role in the country’s agricultural resurgence.