By Laurina B Lormia
(Cub-Reporter)
The World Bank is working with the Government of Liberia and all development partners to implement policies and projects for an inclusive and resilient recovery.
On Monday, March 18, 2024 at the Ellen Johnson Ministerial Complex in Congo Town during the ceremony, the World Bank Country Manager, Georgia Wallen, along with the Government of Liberia, represented by its Deputy Minister for Economic Management, Dehpue Y. Zuo, launched the poverty assessment pathways report towards economic security in Liberia.
Deputy Minister Zuo said Liberians are still exceeding in high level of poverty and one of the key points in international development is to make sure that they reduce poverty.
“Around the World, it has been shown that the poor spend more than 40 percent of their consumption on food; that, in itself, should be the area to target and President Boakai’s priority for agriculture is more focus on how to ensure we have programs that will ensure we have food available for the household,” Zuo said.
He explained, “The Ministry of Agriculture has the priority under the 100 days deliverables to ensure that all farmers have access to sea and road, which are very crucial to agriculture production.
He stated, “The government is making efforts, as is being shown previously, and human capital development is very much important, “We have over 50 percent of our young people with limited skills according to our World Bank report, and we are calling on partners to ensure that whatever resources will be invested are in the next six years.”
He observed, “Poverty challenge across Africa is due to bad governance, lack of transparency, and honesty in leadership, therefore President Boakai has made it his duty to ensure that all public officials are accountable; we are also doing our best to ensure that the thousand dollars given to the government is accountable.”
He concluded, “As we go through our planning process, it will be the first time in more than five to six years for you to see tax revenue collection updates from the MFDP and LRA, and we will keep all partners and citizens informed on how we address the issue of poverty.”
Wallen stated that, towards achieving the mission to end extreme poverty and promote shared prosperity on a livable planet, the World Bank is working with the Government of Liberia and all development partners to implement policies and projects for an inclusive and resilient recovery.
“Last year’s budget support of US$65m aimed to help lay institutional and policy foundations in growth, supporting resilience-related sectors and promoting transparency and accountability in the public sector,” she said.
Madam Wallen stated that the US$85m Rural Economic Transformation Project (which included US$76m from IDA and a $9m grant from the Liberia Reconstruction Trust Fund) is improving productivity and market access for smallholder farmers and agribusiness and supporting transformational road connectivity.
“The $18m Health Security Program, approved in December 2023, aims to boost regional collaboration and health system capacity to prevent, detect, and respond to health outbreaks and emergencies. We are working with the government on expanding cash transfers from Bomi, Maryland, Grand Kru, and River Gee, to cover the entire country through the Social Protection Project. These initiatives, together with ongoing support for education, social protection, and climate adaptation, are part of the solution,” she added.
She concluded, “As we reflect on all that is needed, let us remember Liberia’s strengths and the richness of its heritage. This is an essential foundation for moving forward. Let’s remember the human faces behind all the numbers we’ll discuss. And let’s commit to proactive, well-informed action that makes a difference for the poor and the vulnerable.”
For his part, the Practice Manager (Poverty), World Bank, Johan Mistiaen, said the poverty assessment puts a particular focus on understanding the impact of shocks on poverty in Liberia.
It documents what transpired between 2014 and 2016, while also acknowledging recent setbacks in poverty reduction, notably those resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, as since 2019, many countries experienced an uptick in poverty.
“Liberia can participate in the global effort to turn around the reversal of poverty reduction. There are challenges to overcome. The report we will launch today outlines some critical ones, but there are also many opportunities to seize in Liberia, and with the right policies, informed by data, progress can be made quickly to bolster economic growth and improve living standards,” he added.
He said, “On behalf of my team, I wish to express our immense gratitude to Liberia Institute of Statistics and Geo-Information Services (LISGIS) for availing the data underpinning the analysis presented in the report, and for supporting the team in constructing the welfare aggregate and poverty numbers.
