By Amos Harris
The Government of Liberia has unveiled a US$900 million Legacy Investment Program at the Africa Food Systems Forum (AFS Forum) 2025, signaling a renewed national push for food security, rural prosperity, and inclusive economic growth.
The high-profile event, held from August 31 to September 5, 2025, in Dakar under the theme “Africa’s Youth: Leading Collaboration, Innovation, and Implementation of Agri-Food Systems Transformation”, brought together more than 6,000 delegates from 113 countries, including policymakers, private sector leaders, farmers, youth innovators, and global development partners.
Presenting the program, Agriculture Minister Dr. J. Alexander Nuetah described the Legacy Initiative as the “cornerstone of Liberia’s agricultural transformation agenda,” emphasizing its role in achieving food self-sufficiency, creating rural jobs, improving nutrition, and reducing poverty.
“The Legacy Investment Program focuses on increasing productivity by providing the right inputs, infrastructure, technology, and services across agricultural value chains,” Minister Nuetah stated.
The initiative prioritizes five key value chains rice, maize, coffee, cassava, and oil palm with ambitious targets 50,000 hectares of rice to achieve national self-sufficiency.
20,000 hectares of maize for food security and livestock feed, 15,000 hectares of coffee to revive Liberia’s once-vibrant export market.,
20,000 hectares of cassava to enhance food security and agro-processing, 18,000 hectares of oil palm to boost domestic edible oil supply and foreign exchange earnings.
The program has already drawn international attention, with delegations from Germany and Ireland and support from development partners such as AGRA and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
Ireland reaffirmed its commitment to nutrition-sensitive agriculture, women’s empowerment, and climate-smart practices in Liberia.
Minister Nuetah further assured investors of Liberia’s readiness for agribusiness partnerships, highlighting incentives and the country’s dual currency system as attractive features for investment.
“Liberia offers an enabling environment for agribusiness investment, with strong incentives designed to encourage sustainable private sector participation,” he noted.
The Legacy Program aligns with Liberia’s Vision 2030, which seeks to elevate the nation to lower-middle-income status, reduce unemployment, and increase GDP per capita from US$866 in 2024 to US$1,115 by 2030.
“This $900 million plan is more than a national strategy; it is a roadmap for partnerships that can deliver prosperity across Africa’s food systems,” Minister Nuetah declared
The Africa Food Systems Forum has become a platform for governments to launch large-scale agricultural programs, helping countries transform food system priorities into investment-ready projects for sustainable impact.
Liberia’s Legacy Program, organizers say, embodies this vision by promoting resilient, inclusive, and sustainable agri-food systems.
