Finance and Development Planning Minister, Augustine Kpehe Ngafuan, has assured the public that the government is steadily addressing what he described as the nation’s pressing “bread and butter” concerns, while at the same time working to ease constraints to long-term economic growth.
Speaking recently in Monrovia, Minister Ngafuan stressed that economic management requires constant effort and cannot be paused. “It’s like you must continue to run; you won’t reach a point where you can rest. Even when progress is being made, you must continue to work,” he said.
According to him, two of the government’s major priorities are tackling barriers to growth and creating jobs, particularly through investment in infrastructure and energy.
He highlighted ongoing road developments that are helping ease travel and commerce across the country.
“People are now leaving from here and reaching Zwedru in seven hours. Before, it used to take two days or even a week, often passing through neighboring countries,” he explained. “Even now, NTA buses are moving to Voinjama and the Southeast during the rainy season, reducing travel costs and saving people money that can go directly toward their ‘bread and butter.’”
The minister further noted that expanded electricity access is transforming livelihoods and business activity. “Power is increasing, new communities are getting electricity, and people cannot see that progress? Nightlife is increasing, Monrovia is active at night, and businesses are operating due to electricity access. That, too, contributes to bread and butter,” he said, citing improved port operations and container truck movements at night as examples of the benefits.
“When we delay civil servants’ salaries, we are imposing a task on them, the task of borrowing. And the lenders, in turn, impose extra charges, which act as a tax. That is not good,” boasting of the government’s payment of salary in time.
The finance minister emphasized that the current administration is more focused on solving problems than responding to critics. “We will not waste valuable time on negative criticism. When you spend more time talking, you are not talking about achievement,” he said.
He contrasted the government’s approach with the previous administration, noting that in December 2023, the former government borrowed from the Central Bank of Liberia to meet salary obligations, something he said the current leadership has avoided
