Sup Challenges Boakai Government Over Rising Poverty Despite 5.1% Economic Growth

MONROVIA — The Vanguard Student Unification Party (SUP) at the University of Liberia has launched a strong criticism of the Boakai administration’s economic performance, arguing that the country’s reported economic growth has failed to translate into meaningful improvements in the living conditions of ordinary Liberians.

In a statement issued on Friday, November 6, 2026, SUP described the latest World Bank assessment of the Liberian economy as evidence of a widening disconnect between macroeconomic performance and the daily economic realities confronting citizens, particularly unemployed young people, low-income households, informal workers and struggling businesses.

The student political organization said the government’s presentation of economic growth as an achievement overlooks the persistent poverty, unemployment and high cost of living confronting a substantial portion of the population. SUP’s reaction follows the release of the seventh edition of the World Bank Group’s Liberia Economic Update on November 3, 2026, titled Beyond Growth: Addressing Structural Constraints to Job-Rich Growth in Liberia.

According to the World Bank, Liberia’s economy expanded by 5.1 percent in 2025, largely supported by a strong recovery in mining and continued growth in the services sector. However, the institution emphasized that stronger and more inclusive job creation remains necessary to ensure that economic expansion improves living standards.

One of the most troubling figures highlighted in SUP’s response is the increase in extreme poverty from 34.6 percent in 2024 to 36.1 percent in 2025. The party described the development as an indictment of the government’s economic management, questioning how the administration could celebrate positive growth indicators while more Liberians were estimated to have fallen into extreme poverty.

For SUP, the figures raise fundamental questions about who benefits from Liberia’s economic expansion and whether the country’s natural resources and economic activities are producing sufficient opportunities for the majority of its citizens.

The World Bank’s findings provide important context to that argument. Mining expanded by 17 percent in 2025, while the services sector grew by 4.6 percent. Agriculture, however, recorded growth of only 2.6 percent.

SUP argues that the concentration of economic expansion in mining, particularly activities involving large foreign-owned companies, has not generated sufficient economic benefits for ordinary Liberians. The party specifically referenced ArcelorMittal, MNG Gold, Bea Mountain and China Union, contending that the country’s dependence on mineral extraction exposes the weakness of an economic structure that does not sufficiently support domestic production, agricultural development and employment opportunities.

It further questioned the distribution of benefits from the extractive sector, arguing that foreign corporations and political elites stand to gain disproportionately while ordinary citizens continue to struggle with basic necessities.

The student organization also raised concerns about the agricultural sector, which it considers essential to the livelihoods of rural communities and a major source of employment across the country.

With agriculture recording only 2.6 percent growth, SUP believes the sector is not receiving the level of attention and investment required to improve food production, strengthen rural incomes and reduce Liberia’s dependence on imported food. The party also challenged the government’s reliance on low inflation figures as an indication of economic progress, maintaining that many households continue to experience serious difficulties purchasing rice, fuel, transportation and other essential commodities.

Beyond poverty and agricultural performance, SUP pointed to the country’s employment structure as another indication of the economic difficulties facing Liberians.

The party cited the estimated 78 percent of workers engaged in the informal economy, arguing that the situation reflects the limited availability of secure and adequately remunerated employment.

For thousands of young people entering the labor market, the dominance of informal employment presents a major development challenge, particularly where businesses lack the financial capacity to expand and create stable jobs. SUP also criticized the financial conditions of state-owned enterprises, including the Liberia Petroleum Refining Company, National Port Authority and Liberia Electricity Corporation.

It accused political officials of using some state-owned enterprises for political purposes and raised concerns about the financial pressures facing the electricity sector, including government debt obligations and businesses’ reliance on privately operated generators.

The World Bank’s report separately calls for stronger oversight, transparency, financial reporting and accountability in state-owned enterprises, emphasizing that weaknesses in their management can expose public finances to additional risks. SUP’s criticism comes as the Boakai administration approaches its third year in office, with the party insisting that the government’s economic performance should be measured by tangible improvements in employment, household income, access to essential services and opportunities for young people rather than growth figures alone.

The party also defended its April 14, 2026, March for Jobs and Justice protest, arguing that the latest economic assessment reinforces the concerns it raised about unemployment, poverty and the government’s development priorities.

However, the World Bank’s assessment is not an outright rejection of Liberia’s economic progress. The institution acknowledged improvements in the country’s fiscal position, noting that the overall fiscal deficit narrowed from 2.5 percent of GDP in 2024 to 2.1 percent in 2025, while public debt declined from 56.4 percent to 55.1 percent of GDP.

It also reported that inflation remained contained, supported by monetary policy, exchange-rate stability and moderate international food and fuel prices. Nevertheless, the institution warned that limited external reserves and structural barriers to private-sector expansion remain important challenges.

The World Bank has consequently called for stronger private-sector development, increased productive investment, economic diversification and improved governance of state-owned enterprises to ensure that growth produces more employment opportunities and better living conditions.

For SUP, these recommendations reinforce its position that economic growth must be accompanied by deliberate policies that improve the welfare of the population.

The party maintained that Liberia cannot achieve sustainable development when the extractive industry expands while agriculture, employment opportunities and the productive capacity of ordinary citizens remain constrained.

It therefore called on the government to redirect national development priorities toward agriculture, education, healthcare, youth empowerment, job creation and support for local businesses. SUP concluded that the country’s economic progress must be judged by the number of citizens lifted out of poverty, the availability of decent employment and the ability of households to meet their basic needs.

The party warned that without a fundamental shift toward inclusive development, reported economic growth risks remaining disconnected from the realities of the majority of Liberians.