Liberia: CBL Opens Nat'l Confab On Non-Performing Loans

What the report says

Liberia’s Central Bank opened a three-day national conference in Monrovia on the resolution of non-performing loans, with President Joseph Nyuma Boakai leading the event at the EJS Ministerial Complex. The meeting brought together bankers, regulators, lawmakers, judges and development partners to address a bad-debt problem officials say has constrained lending and slowed private sector growth.

According to figures cited at the conference, non-performing loans accounted for about 19% of total bank lending at the end of 2024, before easing to roughly 12.5% to 12.9% by the end of 2025, depending on the measure used. Officials cautioned that the decline reflects, in part, write-offs and restructuring rather than full recovery. The article said domestic credit to the private sector remains low, loan-to-deposit ratios are modest, and many businesses continue to cite weak access to finance as a major obstacle.

Boakai framed the issue as one that affects farmers, young entrepreneurs and depositors, and tied the effort to his administration’s broader development agenda. He called for stronger credit reporting, better collateral systems, improved land administration, digital financial services and a modern insolvency framework, while stressing that banks, borrowers and the courts all have roles to play.

Finance Minister Augustine Kpehe Ngafuan also pointed to delayed government payments as a contributor to loan stress, arguing that the state must improve its own repayment discipline. The conference is intended to produce practical commitments and follow-up mechanisms rather than just recommendations.