Liberia: UN - Liberia Must Move Beyond Aid

What the report says

United Nations Resident Coordinator Christine N. Umutoni has urged Liberia to lessen its dependence on traditional aid and instead broaden how it funds development, including through domestic revenue, private investment, climate finance and other financing tools. Her remarks were delivered in Monrovia at a high-level meeting of the ARREST Agenda for Inclusive Development (AAID) National Steering Committee, according to the New Dawn report distributed by AllAfrica.

Umutoni said the global aid environment is changing and that Liberia needs a more durable financing model to support the AAID. She pointed to the proposed Integrated National Financing Framework and Development Cooperation Policy, being developed by the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning, as important steps toward mobilizing and coordinating resources. She also encouraged a move toward larger, nationally owned flagship projects rather than smaller initiatives.

She identified human capital, economic transformation, food systems, digital transformation and climate resilience as areas where major investments could be directed. Umutoni said Liberia’s strengths include its young population, natural resources, location, peace record and democratic resilience, which she described as part of the country’s investment appeal. She also said the AAID should now focus more on implementation and measurable results as it enters its second year.

The UN official praised President Joseph Nyuma Boakai Sr.’s administration and Liberia’s development partners, civil society and private sector for supporting the agenda. She said Liberia’s longer-term progress will depend less on aid levels than on stronger institutions, more investment and better opportunities, while reaffirming UN support for the country’s transition from peacebuilding to broader prosperity.