The United States Ambassador to Liberia, Michael A. McCarthy, yesterday paid an hour-long visit to the Liberian Bank for Development and Investment (LBDI), where he met with the new president & CEO, Deo Delaney and his senior executive team.
The three executive officers are the Deputy CEO and General Manager, Mark Akwenah Nyeamene; the Corporate Secretary, Regina Elliott and the Acting CFO and Comptroller, J. Wilbert Thomas II.
Before taking a tour of the bank’s 9th street office in Sinkor, in a 10-minute speech to the staff gathered in the banking hall, Mr. McCarthy said, “It’s wonderful to see LBDI re-embrace its role as a development bank because that is what this country needs long-term development; a part of attracting those investors is creating greater trust in the financial markets in Liberia.”
Mr. McCarthy stated, “When you prove your governance structures and digitize and make it more standardized to outsiders, you’re making this a more favorable environment and it will take significant foreign investment to change the economic outlook in Liberia and LBDI could play a leading role in attracting new investors.”
Mr. McCarthy said he finds LBDI’s desire to be involved in climate financing especially exciting pointing out, “Climate finance is really important for all of us around the world. If you can get financial benefits for the resources you have, you are not only helping the world, but you are also helping Liberia as well.”
“LBDI could be the beginning of turning the corner and changing the environment. You could be the ones who begin to attract foreign investors and that is critical,” Mr. McCarthy said.
McCarthy continued, “It makes us excited that we have a partner in the economy who has one of the same goals that we have. We’re convinced that with the new team and the new outlook you’re going to do great things.”
Meanwhile, Mr. Delaney thanked Mr. McCarthy for his confidence and thanked him for visiting the bank stressing, “I cannot overstate how much it means for us to have Ambassador McCarthy visit with us today at LBDI. Please join me in welcoming him and the head of USAID, Mr. Jim Wright.”
Mr. Delaney says as he works to reorganize the bank and reset priorities, a visit from McCarthy, who he called a friend, is “not just symbolic.”
“Now that the Government of Liberia has named LBDI a key driver of economic growth in Liberia, we hope the Ambassador’s presence here at our bank is the first phase of an enduring relationship that will be strengthened by LBDI’s renewed commitment to transparency, good corporate governance, accountability and all the interests we have in common,” Mr. Delaney added.
In April, LBDI’s Board of Directors hired Mr. Delaney, 37, to lead Liberia’s only Development Finance Institution.
LBDI, the county’s largest and only development finance institution, was created by an Act of the National Legislature in 1961 and since 1988, it has operated as a commercial bank established by the Liberian government and several foreign development companies to help develop the financial infrastructure in Liberia.
LBDI was established under the joint initiative of the Liberian government and major international financial institutions that purchased equity in the Bank.
LBDI is predominantly a privately owned institution under private management and a Board of Directors elected annually by its shareholders.
The bank commenced operations in 1965 as the Liberian Bank for Industrial Development and Investment. Under an amendment in 1974, the name was changed to the Liberian Bank for Development and Investment.
