Gov’t, IFAD Move to Fast-Track Agriculture

The Government of Liberia through the Ministry of Agriculture (MoA) and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), on Tuesday, September 22, officially launched a joint Portfolio Supervision Mission to review implementation progress, tackle operational bottlenecks, and strengthen delivery across IFAD-financed agricultural investments in Liberia.

The mission, which runs from September 22 to October 9, 2026, will undertake a comprehensive review of four major projects in the IFAD portfolio: the Tree Crops Extension Project Phase II (TCEP-II), the Building Climate Resilience in the Rice and Cocoa Sectors Project (BCRP), the Smallholder Agriculture Transformation and Agribusiness Revitalization Project (STAR-P), and the Investing in Livelihood Resilience and Soil Health in ACP Countries (ILSA) program.

Launching the mission virtually from the United States, Minister of Agriculture Dr. J. Alexander Nuetah welcomed newly appointed IFAD Country Director and Representative for Liberia, Mr. Marcelin Norvilus, and reaffirmed the Government’s commitment to working with IFAD to deliver tangible results for Liberian farmers with greater urgency.

“IFAD is one of our most critical partners in Liberia, with a strong footprint in agriculture, especially feeder roads, rural infrastructure and the National Cocoa Seed Garden. The Government will fully work with you to ensure that this mission is successful,” Minister Nuetah said.

Minister Nuetah outlined the Government’s priorities for deepened collaboration, including faster project implementation, agricultural mechanization, rehabilitation of feeder roads, strengthening of extension services, cocoa value addition, and technical capacity building.

In a demonstration of Liberia’s commitment to the partnership, the Minister disclosed that Liberia has pledged US$300,000 to the IFAD14 replenishment cycle.

“The Government of Liberia has committed US$300,000 to the IFAD14 replenishment. We have paid 50 percent of our IFAD13 commitment; the balance will be paid, and then we focus on IFAD14,” he stated.

Responding, IFAD Country Director Marcelin Norvilus commended the Government’s leadership and said the IFAD portfolio in Liberia continues to perform above regional benchmarks.

“The overall portfolio performance remains very strong, thanks to the Government’s commitment, my predecessor, the country team and the PIU. We currently have no project classified as a problem project or potential problem project,” Mr. Norvilus said.

He also welcomed Liberia’s move to complete its IFAD13 contribution and described the increased pledge to IFAD14 as an important signal of ownership and partnership.

According to the Ministry of Agriculture, the 18-day supervision exercise will focus on practical measures to enhance efficiency and impact. Specifically, the joint team will:

Review physical and financial implementation progress across the four projects;

Assess the status of implementation of recommendations from previous supervision missions;

Identify and address operational and institutional challenges; and

Strengthen coherence, coordination and synergies among TCEP-II, BCRP, STAR-P and ILSA.

The mission brings together senior officials from the Ministries of Agriculture, Finance and Development Planning, and Public Works, along with IFAD representatives, Project Implementation Units (PIUs), and technical specialists.

Through its partnership with the Government of Liberia, IFAD is supporting investments aimed at strengthening agricultural value chains, improving food security and climate resilience, expanding rural infrastructure, and creating sustainable economic opportunities for smallholder farmers, with a particular focus on women and youth.

At the conclusion of the mission on October 9, the team is expected to present its findings and an agreed time-bound action plan to accelerate implementation performance and improve results across all IFAD-supported investments in Liberia.