Liberia: Gov’t Adopts ARREST Agenda for Inclusive Development, President Applauds Flagship Program to Transform Economy - FrontPageAfrica
by Jaheim T. Tumu · FrontPageAfricaShare
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Congo Town– President Joseph Nyumah Boakai said that his administration cannot afford to ignore the persistent lack of access to essential services such as clean drinking water, reliable electricity, adequate housing, and healthcare as they adopted the ARREST Agenda for Inclusive Development (AAID) and the County Development Agendas (CDA).
By Jaheim T. Tumu- jaheim.tumu@frontpageafricaonline.com
The adoption of the draft AAID represents the last major step in the long journey of formulating the government’s new national development plan, which began in April of this year and has involved consultations and validation exercises with international and national stakeholders, including citizens from the 15 counties.
In his remarks, President Boakai emphasized that the people of Liberia deserve better. He highlighted that the AAID and CDA provide a comprehensive strategy supported by ambitious programs aimed at tackling multidimensional poverty and creating a lasting impact on the lives of citizens.
Said President Boakai, “The AAID and CDA offer comprehensive strategies, supported by ambitious programs aimed at tackling multidimensional poverty and creating a lasting environment in the lives of our citizens. Our focus is diversifying the economy, building resilient construction, strengthening the rules of law, improving governance, combating corruption, ensuring environment sustainability and investing human capital.”
He stated that the ARREST Agenda aims to develop sustainable policies that prioritize the welfare of Liberians, especially focusing on critical areas such as agribusiness, roads and infrastructure, the rule of law, governance, education, human capital, sanitation, and tourism, which are essential for the country’s future.
Accordingly, he said that the validation of the AAID and CDA marks the beginning of an ongoing process that requires our collective effort and the government will work closely with partners, the private sector, civil society, and citizens both at home and in the diaspora to ensure successful implementation.
The Liberian Leader urged the National Steering Committee to foster a culture of mutual accountability, emphasizing that the success of the agenda hinges on how officials manage limited resources to effectively impact development and enhance livelihoods.
“It is called to unite in our shared vision of proper and equitable Liberia. Collaboration will be vital to revitalizing peace, agribusiness, tourism, digital technology infrastructure, education and healthcare. We need to accelerate our economic growth; we must ensure that it endorses a tangible development that benefits every Liberian.”
Adding” This means decisively addressing corruption, tackling government challenges and leveraging technology to improve public service delivery. We are determined to build trust in our institutions, strengthen the rules of laws, create an enabling environment and private sector dribbling growth,” President Boakai said.
Speaking earlier before the endorsement, Minister for Finance Development and Planning (MFDP), Augustine K. Ngafuan said the National Development Plan is not just a government document—it is the collective vision of the country’s future.
Ngafuan stated that the AAID and CDA are rigorous and collaborative documents guided by data. He described them as a blueprint for addressing the challenges of poverty, inequality, unemployment, and underdevelopment as the government advances the country.
“As we prepare to endorse this plan and the accompanying CDAs, we must ensure that every element of these development frameworks is aligned with the actual needs, aspirations, and challenges facing the Liberian people,” Ngafuan said.
Ngafuan stated that the validation process is a chance for meaningful discussions and constructive feedback to make the AAID comprehensive and responsive to the country’s development needs.
“Your collective expertise and diverse perspectives have always been very invaluable as we work together to refine the strategies and interventions that will guide our development over the next five years,” he stated.
Outlining the national development agenda categorically: Inclusive Growth
Minister Ngafuan stated that the government aims to create an inclusive economy by generating jobs for youth, supporting women and the physically challenged, promoting entrepreneurship in agribusiness, and reducing inequality. The government projects an average real GDP growth of about 6% over five years, leading to a 24% increase in per capita income—from US$849 to US$1,050 by 2029.
Additionally, economic diversification is being prioritized to create jobs and reduce the trade imbalance from US$1.1 billion to US$637 million, with specific interventions for youth, women, and vulnerable populations.
“In addition, we are deliberately focusing on economic diversification to create jobs and reverse the trade imbalance from the current US$1.1 billion to US$ 637 million. To ensure that no one is left behind, we have focused on interventions targeting our youth, women, and vulnerable populations,” he disclosed.
On Sustainable Development: Accordingly, he said the plan is to build on a foundation of sustainability where the government is committed to an environmentally responsible growth model that integrates climate resilience, green technologies, and conservation of our natural resources for the benefit of the present and future generations.
He said, “Besides, our approach treats our environmental resources as assets that we shall leverage in the mobilization of financing for development.”
Addressing Infrastructure and Innovation, he recognized that modern infrastructure and technological advancement are critical to achieving our development goals.
Accordingly, he explained that AAID emphasizes the need for robust infrastructure, digital transformation, and innovation to drive economic competitiveness.
He noted that demand for better transport infrastructure constituted the highest ‘priority need’ during the county consultations. Hence the target of paving 485 km of primary roads and laying out all community roads in all county capitals is partly in response to the citizens’ demands.
Minister Ngafuan said that the government understands that the social well-being of people is the true measure of progress.
He stated that the Boakai-Koung administration has plans to reduce the proportion of the population that is multidimensionally poor from the current 45% to 36% by 2029 by tackling deprivations in health, education, living conditions, especially by increasing access to electricity, clean water, sanitation facilities among others.
He reiterated President Boakai’s call for good governance, urging to ensure strong, transparent and accountable institutions play a role in fostering development. He emphasized that the preliminary cost estimate of the Plan over the next five-year period is US$8.4 billion.
“Government contribution is projected at 30% whilst the remaining 70% will potentially be sourced from the Private Sector, Development Partners, and diaspora investment. In this regard, the Government is committed to enhancing its domestic resource mobilization measures through improvements in tax administration and tax policy reforms, especially minimizing tax expenditures, as well as cutting down unnecessary public spending, he said.