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The Government of Liberia, in partnership with the World Bank, on Monday, November 26, officially launched the Climate Integration and Financing Office (CIFO) in Paynesville.
The new office, a key component of Liberia’s strategy to integrate climate change considerations into national development planning, is designed to mobilize resources for climate-resilient projects and foster collaboration across government ministries, agencies, and development partners.
The launch of CIFO marks a critical step in Liberia’s commitment to addressing the climate crisis while pursuing sustainable development.
According to Georgia Wallen, World Bank’s Country Manager for Liberia, the establishment of CIFO is an important development that will ensure Liberia’s climate efforts are more coordinated, impactful, and aligned with the country’s broader development goals.
“Today’s launch is a vital step towards ensuring that Liberia’s climate goals are effectively integrated into national development planning,” said Wallen during her opening remarks. “This office will serve as a hub for fostering collaboration, bringing together government agencies and development partners to ensure that every dollar for climate has maximum impact for the Liberian people and the environment.”
Wallen highlighted three key roles that CIFO will play in advancing Liberia’s climate agenda: coordination, collaboration for investment, and impact.
First, the office will play an essential role in coordinating Liberia’s climate initiatives across various sectors. With Liberia’s climate goals demanding stronger links between policies and infrastructure for climate change adaptation and mitigation, CIFO will be central to ensuring a cohesive approach.
The flagship Liberia Country Climate and Development Report (CCDR), launched earlier this year, emphasized the need for a policy framework that integrates climate finance, risk management, and coordination. CIFO will help facilitate the development of such a framework and ensure that climate-related investments are transparent and efficiently allocated.
“This office will lay the foundation for developing a comprehensive climate finance architecture in Liberia, ensuring that resources for climate action are used effectively and reach the communities and sectors that need them the most,” she added.
Second, Wallen emphasized that collaboration would be key to scaling up investment in climate resilience. According to a 2019/2020 assessment by the Climate Policy Initiative, Liberia received an average of US$112 million annually in climate finance, most of which came in the form of grants and low-cost project debt. However, the cost of implementing Liberia’s climate adaptation and mitigation actions through 2025 is projected to be US$491 million.
Wallen noted that while concessional finance would remain a critical source of funding for climate action in the short term, it would not be sufficient to meet the country’s long-term climate goals.
She stressed the need for coordinated approaches to unlock private sector investments, including innovative financing from the carbon market, to fill the financing gap and support large-scale projects.
“CIFO will help build institutional capacity within the government to leverage both domestic resources and international financing,” she said. “By working together across all sectors—government, development partners, and the private sector—we can create the conditions for Liberia’s climate goals to be realized.”
The third key role of CIFO, according to Wallen, is ensuring that Liberia’s climate efforts have a measurable impact. This will be achieved through the institutionalization of climate budgets and planning, an approach that has proven successful in other countries. The World Bank has supported nations like Uganda, Ethiopia, and Sierra Leone in tracking and prioritizing climate-related expenditures, and these global experiences will serve as valuable lessons for Liberia.
Georgia highlighted Uganda’s successful introduction of climate budget tagging, a system that tracks climate-related expenditures in the national budget. The World Bank supported Uganda in this initiative, helping to align the country’s spending with its Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and ensuring that the budget focused on climate-responsive actions.
“Learning from countries like Uganda, Liberia can implement similar systems to track climate finance and prioritize investments where they will have the most significant impact,” said Wallen. “This approach will help ensure that Liberia’s climate strategies are fully funded and implemented effectively.”
In closing, Wallen reiterated that climate change is a central pillar of Liberia’s ARREST Agenda for Inclusive Development, which reflects the country’s commitment to reducing greenhouse gas emissions and increasing resilience to climate impacts. The establishment of the Climate Integration and Financing Office is a vital part of this strategy, ensuring that Liberia’s climate goals are integrated into national policies and backed by adequate financing.
She applauded the Government of Liberia for its leadership in driving this agenda forward and positioning the country as a leader in aligning climate action with national development objectives.
“The Government of Liberia’s strong ownership of this climate agenda will ensure that Liberia is at the forefront of climate action in the region,” Georgia concluded. “The World Bank is proud to be a partner in this important journey toward a more climate-resilient and sustainable Liberia.”
