-Finance Minister Ngafuan rallies Liberians to contribute to the implementation of the government’s ARREST Agenda
By: G Bennie Bravo Johnson I Liberia’s Minister of Finance and Development Planning Augustine Kpehe Ngafuan, has charged Liberians to join the government in implementing and actualizing its ARREST Agenda for Inclusive Development. He urged Liberians to work tirelessly to overcome the barriers to development and unlock the full potential of Liberia to offer hope and opportunities.
“The AAID is not merely a document—it is a call to action. It challenges us to rethink our approaches, embrace innovation, and prioritize the well-being of every Liberian. It emphasizes local ownership, cause-consequence analysis, and digital transformation as critical drivers of change.
The journey ahead will require unwavering collaboration among all stakeholders. The government will provide leadership, but the private sector, civil society, development partners, and Liberians at home and abroad must play their part. Together, we can transform Liberia into a lower-middle-income country by 2030, ensuring peace, stability, and prosperity for all,” he said.
The Finance Minister emphasizes: “As we launch the AAID, let us reaffirm our collective commitment to this vision. Let us work tirelessly to overcome the barriers to development and unlock the full potential of our nation. Together, we will build a Liberia that offers hope, opportunity, and dignity to all its people.”
The Arrest Agenda for Inclusive Development (AAID), is Liberia’s fourth post-conflict National Development Plan (2025-2029), along with fifteen development plans for the fifteen political subdivisions of the country, the County Development Agendas (CDAs) which successful implementation requires an estimated US$8.38 billion.
Minister Ngafuan stated of the 8.38 billion, at least 30 percent will be funded by the Government of Liberia, while the remaining 70 percent will potentially come from development partners, the private sector, and others.
Providing the overview of the Occasion which Marks the Launch of the AAID – Liberia’s National Development Plan (2025-2029)
on January 15, 2025, at the Far Ground in Buchanan, Grand Bassa County, Liberia’s Minister of Finance and Development Planning, Augustine Kpehe Ngafuan contended that the AAID and the CDAs are anchored in Liberia’s National Vision 2030 and aligned with global, continental and regional frameworks.
These include the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), African Union’s Agenda 2063: The Africa We Want, ECOWAS Vision 2050, and the Doha Program of Action. Asserting that the AAID reflects the Government’s unwavering commitment to fostering peace, reconciliation, and prosperity.
Acknowledging the challenges Liberia faced and recognizing the need to address them, the Finance Minister employed that the AAID aims to achieve ambitious socio-economic progress. Further asserting that from an economic perspective, the Plan envisions, among others, a 37 percent increase in GDP, growing the economy from US$4.75 billion to US$6.5 billion.
Minister Ngafuan provided that the growth will also occasion a 23.6 percent increase in per capita GDP, from approximately US$850 to US$1,050, while creating new jobs and formalizing existing ones.
“On the human capital front, the Plan aspires to extend life expectancy from 60 to 65 years, reduce the maternal mortality rate from 742 per 100,000 to 440 per 100,000, and reduce multidimensional poverty rate from 45 percent to 36 percent. These and other socioeconomic achievements are expected to improve Liberia’s ranking on the SDG index by 7 places, moving from 152 out of 166 countries to 145 out of 166. Such progress will significantly contribute to Liberia’s development journey toward achieving lower-middle-income status by 2029 and improving the lives of the citizens.” Ngafuan added
The Arrest Agenda for Inclusive Development and the County Development Agenda(s) which seeks to provide the strategic framework and the clear roadmap for unlocking the great potential buried deep inside the collective Liberian will to succeed, Minister Augustine Kpehe Ngafuan asserted that these frameworks fundamentally emphasize collaboration among all stakeholders, including the private sector to drive innovation, investment, and job creation.
The Minister further intimated that the collaborative endeavor also counts on the development partners to provide much-needed technical and financial support to bridge resource gaps; the diaspora communities to contribute through investments, remittances, and knowledge; and civil society organizations to lead the advocacy on accountability and inclusivity in implementation.
Minister Ngafuan continued by adding that the AAID is built on six pillars, which he asserted that each of them represents a cornerstone for the nation’s progress. He enumerated Economics, Transformation,
Infrastructure Developments, Rule of Law, Governance and Anti-Corruption, Environmental Sustainability, and Human Capital Development.
The Finance Minister concluded by further asserting that at the heart of the AAID is an innovative approach that integrates critical development priorities and cross-cutting themes to maximize the impact of the Government interventions. Adding that the priorities include: agribusiness, infrastructure, education, healthcare, and tourism. asserting that they are the engines propelling Liberia’s growth and that they hold immense potential for creating jobs, reducing poverty, and diversifying Liberia’s economy.
