MONROVIA, Liberia, September 8, 2026 — The Youth Entrepreneurship Investment Bank Management Company (YEIB-MANCO), in collaboration with the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, has launched a Technical Assistance Program aimed at strengthening youth-led businesses and preparing them to access financing and investment.
The program will initially target 50 micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) from across Liberia, providing technical support in business planning, financial management, marketing, record-keeping, product development, digitalization and market access.
Commerce and Industry Minister Magdalene Dagoseh said the initiative is aligned with the government’s ARREST Agenda for Inclusive Development and seeks to promote a more inclusive and resilient private sector.
She said the program will particularly support young people and women in establishing, formalizing and expanding businesses capable of creating jobs and generating wealth.
African Development Bank Senior International Consultant Dr. James Francis Davis described the launch as a significant milestone, saying Liberia is the first African country to launch the YEIB Technical Assistance Program.
Davis said the YEIB model differs from traditional donor-funded access-to-finance programs because it seeks to establish permanent institutions in African countries to provide financial and non-financial services to youth-led enterprises.
He said the technical assistance component will strengthen the capacity of participating businesses while helping connect them to financing and market opportunities.
According to Davis, the initiative is also expected to contribute to human capital development by improving the quality of business development services available to Liberian MSMEs.
Not a Cash-Grant Program
YEIB-MANCO Chief Executive Officer Joseph Fatorma Sando stressed that the initiative is not a cash-grant program.
Instead, he said, it is designed to strengthen businesses and prepare them to attract financing from banks and other investors.
Sando said participating entrepreneurs will receive practical assistance in business planning, financial management, marketing, record keeping, product development, digitalization and accessing markets.
He said the objective is to develop stronger and better-organized Liberian businesses capable of meeting the requirements of financial institutions and investors.
Sando disclosed that 50 MSMEs will be selected from across the country for the program’s first cohort, with additional cohorts expected to follow.
He particularly encouraged women entrepreneurs and entrepreneurs with disabilities to apply, saying inclusion is a central component of the initiative.
Marcus B. Zarway, Project Coordinator of the African Development Bank’s YEIB-MANCO Project Implementation Unit, described the launch as another step toward the establishment and full operationalization of YEIB-MANCO in Liberia. The Technical Assistance Program is being led by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry through its Small Business Administration and financed by the African Development Bank.
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