MONROVIA – The Government of Liberia and the World Bank on Tuesday, July 23, 2025, signed a landmark US$88.7 million financing agreement to implement the Excellence in Learning in Liberia (EXCEL) project. The initiative aims to significantly improve public primary education across the country by addressing foundational learning gaps and strengthening the national education system.
Speaking at the signing ceremony, Madam Georgia Wallen, World Bank Country Manager for Liberia, described the agreement as a “historic step forward” in the effort to reduce learning poverty in the country and unlock new opportunities for Liberia’s youth.
“This has been a promising week for the continued revitalization and transformation of education in Liberia,” Madam Wallen stated. “EXCEL is a downpayment on the transformation that is needed, and time is of the essence. Young Liberians deserve more and better.”
According to Wallen, the EXCEL project will cover all public elementary schools in Liberia’s 15 counties, reaching approximately 362,000 students, teachers, and staff. The program aligns with the Boakai-led government’s ARREST Agenda for Inclusive Development (AAID) and the long-term Vision 2030 national development framework.
Madam Wallen emphasized that EXCEL stands out for three reasons: its scale, ambition, and urgency. She highlighted that the project is the largest-ever World Bank investment in Liberia’s education sector, backed by US$60 million in financing from the World Bank’s International Development Association (IDA). An additional US$28.7 million was provided by the Global Partnership for Education (GPE), raising the total to US$88.7 million.
“This level of investment is unprecedented,” Wallen noted. “We are very grateful to GPE for the outstanding partnership and look forward to working closely with education stakeholders in Liberia.”
The EXCEL project is designed to confront the root causes of Liberia’s weak learning outcomes, with interventions that include the development of evidence-based instructional materials, improved teacher training, expansion of equitable access, school grants, prevention of school-based violence, and stronger data systems for decision-making.
Highlighting the urgency, Wallen referenced Liberia’s alarming position in global education rankings. “Liberia’s human capital development outcomes are among the lowest in the world, ranking 171st out of 174 countries assessed. “Further, Liberia’s children have the lowest level of learning adjusted years of schooling globally,” she said. “These numbers are stark, but they fail to convey the names and lives that are represented, lives full of hopes, dreams and potential that education must help unlock.”
Wallen reaffirmed the World Bank’s commitment to working with the Government of Liberia and its development partners to ensure successful implementation of the project. She also recognized the efforts of Liberia’s Minister of Education, Hon. Jarso Jallah, for her “instrumental and visionary leadership.”
“EXCEL is a flagship project under our new Country Partnership Framework, which focuses on building the foundations for more and better jobs,” Wallen said.
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