The Government of Liberia launches a 5-year National Development Plan here for the country.
By: Kruah Thompson
Buchanan, Grand Bassa County, January 16, 2025 – President Joseph Nyuma Boakai launches a 5-year National Development Plan here, tagged the ARREST Agenda for Inclusive Development (AAID) and the County Development Agendas (CDAs).
The agenda is a national development policy formulated in May 2024 through comprehensive consultations across all 136 administrative districts, 15 counties, and 11 budget sectors. It was developed in collaboration with stakeholders to align with regional and continental development goals.
The US$8.4 billion Implementation Plan focuses on six central pillars: agribusiness, roads and infrastructure, rule of law and governance, education and human capital, sanitation, and tourism. It is scheduled to run from 2025 to 2029.
Speaking Wednesday, January 15, 2025, during the official launch in Buchanan, Grand Bassa County, President Boakai revealed that the AAID was built upon lessons learned and accomplishments of previous initiatives, including the Poverty Reduction Strategy, the Agenda for Transformation, and the Pro-Poor Agenda for Prosperity and Development, drawn from two successive administrations.
According to the President, the AAID and CDAs present strategies supported by ambitious programs to address multidimensional poverty affecting a significant portion of the population. And it outlines the aspirations of Liberians from all walks of life, including farmers, entrepreneurs, youth, members of the diaspora, and individuals with disabilities.
He says the agenda should be aligned with global frameworks such as the Sustainable Development Goals, Africa’s Agenda 2063, and ECOWAS Vision 2050 to ensure a holistic, sustainable, and inclusive approach.
Addressing a diverse gathering of government officials, development partners, private sector representatives, and civil society leaders, President Boakai describes the AAID as a roadmap to help elevate Liberia from its current challenges and guide it toward becoming a lower-middle-income country.
He indicates that though Liberia is rich in resources, the country faces significant challenges such as high unemployment, low literacy rate, widespread poverty, poor infrastructure, and structural inequalities, which are fueled by instability that hinders growth across the country.
Therefore, he says it’s time for citizens to come together under the ARREST Agenda for Inclusive Development (AAID) and the County Development Agendas (CDAs) to take deliberate actions to address these challenges ineffectively.
“The AAID calls for a mindset shift that recognizes the potential within every Liberian to drive national development with the support of our international development partners. The plan presents innovative solutions that prioritize inclusiveness, sustainability, justice, governance, and equality for Liberia.”
Positioning the Agenda as a cornerstone for Vision 2030, the President further notes that the transformation Liberia seeks requires a collective effort to embrace good governance, revitalize the economy, modernize infrastructure, improve education and healthcare while ensuring that every voice is heard, including those of women, youth, and the most vulnerable citizens.
He adds that the AAID lays out a robust implementation framework led by a National Steering Committee under his leadership and that it is supported by the UN country team and dedicated technical and coordination teams at all levels to confront these challenges directly.
“In this context, we must commit to mutual accountability to ensure that every dollar spent achieves the desired outcomes.” He stresses that “Only through unity, inclusion, and ownership can we overcome the barriers of poverty and inequality” and adds that monitoring and evaluation are central to ensuring transparency, accountability, and continuous improvement in the country.
However, President Boakai encourages development stakeholders to remain steadfast in their commitment, ensuring that their cooperation frameworks harmonize with the national development plan and the County Development Agendas.
Earlier, finance minister Augustine Kpehe Ngafuan revealed that from an economic perspective, the Plan envisions a 37 percent increase in GDP, growing the economy from US$4.75 billion to US$6.5 billion.
He says that this growth will also occasion a 23.6 percent increase in per capital GDP, from approximately US$850 to US$1,050, while creating new jobs and formalizing existing ones.
“On the human capital front, the Plan aspires to extend life expectancy from 60 to 65 years, reduce the maternal mortality rate from 742 per 100,000 to 440 per 100,000, and reduce multidimensional poverty rate from 45 percent to 36 percent.”
Minister Ngafuan claims that these and other socioeconomic achievements are expected to improve Liberia’s ranking on the SDG index by seven places, moving from 152 out of 166 countries to 145 out of 166. Such progress will significantly contribute to Liberia’s development journey toward achieving lower-middle-income status by 2029 and improving lives of citizens.
Also, Senate President Pro-Tempore Nyonblee Kangar Lawrence announced that the Senate will make recommendations along the way after the documents have been viewed, adding that they look forward to supporting the instrument that will come before them as senators.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Finance presented the AAID, while officials from all 15 counties separately presented their county development plan to the President during the ceremony.
President Boakia, in response, promises to adopt the documents and make them working tools for his administration. Editing by Jonathan Browne
