Liberia’s Vice President Chief Dr. Jewel Howard-Taylor has addressed the Equity for Africa Summit organized by the Liberty University in Washington DC, the United States.
Serving as one of the panelists via virtual presentation on April 14, 2021, Vice President Howard-Taylor spoke on the theme: “Good Governance, making a difference.”
In her presentation, VP Howard-Taylor asserted that Good Governance encapsulates fundamental values that define a common vision of democratic governance; and it makes a difference when the tools, processes and structures required making policies transparent, participatory and accountable are utilized.
Vice President Howard-Taylor also intimated that the citizens of Liberia now have a better appreciation of the Nation’s development initiatives through open government process, and as a means of making a difference in good governance, Liberia ratified the African Common Agenda (ACA) on the SDGs and the African Peer Review Mechanisms (APRM) to evaluate and monitor it’s good governance portfolio.
The Liberian vice president affirmed that Liberia’s investment climate is ripe with abundance of untapped natural resources and called on United States investors to explore investment opportunities in Liberia.
Vice President Howard-Taylor also recounted that Liberia has three trade and investment agreements with the United States under which the United States enjoys duty-free preferential trade benefits.
She named the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA), and the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) as the three trade and investment agreements currently between Liberia and the United States.
The Vice President proffered that Liberia is currently at the Stage of Investment having experienced political stability for more than 15 years.
She reaffirmed President George Weah’s pronouncement that Liberia is opened for business and that the government is strengthening its institutions to eliminate barriers to foreign direct investments.
Vice President Howard-Taylor also shared the panel with Nana Akufo Addo, President of the Republic of Ghana and Yemi Osibanjo, Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
The Equity for Africa Summit is an annual event organized by the Liberty University which seeks to create a platform for African Governments to interact with United States investors and Politicians with an agenda to foster trade and investment cooperation between the United States and Africa.
