The Minister of Finance and Development Planning, Augustine Kpehe Ngafuan, has reaffirmed Liberia’s steadfast commitment to placing children at the heart of national development through the upcoming Government–UNICEF Country Programme (2026–2030).
During a high-level courtesy meeting on Wednesday with Mr. Gilles Fagninou, UNICEF’s Regional Director for West and Central Africa, Minister Ngafuan highlighted that Liberia’s ARREST Agenda for Inclusive Development (2025–2029) is fundamentally rooted in safeguarding and advancing the well-being of the country’s children.
“Children are not just beneficiaries—they are central to our vision for a prosperous Liberia,” Minister Ngafuan stated emphatically. He emphasized that the Ministry is actively integrating child-specific priorities into national financial planning to ensure sustainable and targeted investments.
Among key initiatives prioritized under this approach is the national school feeding program, which the Minister described as “critical to improving both educational outcomes and child nutrition nationwide.”
Responding to Liberia’s leadership, Mr. Gilles Fagninou lauded the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning as a trailblazer in the region.
“Liberia is the first country in West and Central Africa to explicitly embed child-focused policies within its national planning framework,” Mr. Fagninou said. He further commended the Ministry’s pioneering steps to include dedicated budget lines for children and the adoption of disaggregated quarterly reporting mechanisms, calling these efforts “a model for the entire region.”
Both leaders reiterated their shared commitment to finalizing the 2026–2030 Government–UNICEF Country Programme, aiming to build resilient, homegrown financing strategies that reduce dependency on donor funding while delivering lasting impact for Liberia’s most vulnerable populations.
Also present during the meeting were Deputy Minister for Fiscal Affairs Anthony G. Myers, Deputy Minister for Budget and Development Planning Tanneh G. Brunson, and Assistant Minister for External Resources and Debt Management Hon. Alice Williams.
This collaborative effort signals a critical step forward in ensuring that Liberia’s future development policies and resources remain firmly anchored in the well-being and empowerment of its children—the nation’s most precious asset.
