Monrovia, Liberia – Augustine Kpehe Ngafuan, minister of finance and development planning, has described the steps the Boakai administration has taken to make Liberia eligible for the second Compact of the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC).To make sure Liberia complies, the Minister mentioned the creation and bolstering of an intragovernmental team tasked with keeping an eye on the MCC Scorecard.
After that, he told the audience that the Boaka’s Administration places a high priority on accountability and transparency. He highlighted several important interventions carried out by the Liberian government, including the creation of an assets recovery team, auditing of ministries, agencies, and commissions (MACs), and continuous efforts to hold those accused of corruption accountable. In order to improve ties between the two nations, Minister Ngafuan emphasized the necessity of resuming the US-Liberia Political Dialogue.
“The US-Liberia political dialogue is a structured framework for bilateral friendship between Liberia and America.”
He said this while meeting with the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC), Amy Holman, the Acting Assistant Secretary for the Economic Bureau State Department, and Alexia Latortue, the Assistant Secretary of the Treasury Department on Fiscal Affairs, during the IMF/World Bank Annual Meetings in Washington, D.C.As for the Liberian government, Minister Ngafuan has reaffirmed its commitment to accountability and enhancing the quality of life for its people.
“The Ministry of Justice is actively working with the Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission and the General Auditing Commission to prosecute those indicted in various reports.”
Minister Ngafuan also emphasized during the meeting Liberia’s positive interactions with key international partners, pointing to recent successes like the World Bank’s US$60 million direct budgetary support and the IMF’s approval of a US$210 million Economic Compact Fund (ECF) program.
“These milestones demonstrate our dedication to achieving important goals.”
The MCC’s Department of Policy and Evaluation Selection Eligibility and Policy Performance Managing Director Daniel W. Barnes thanked the Liberian delegation for their enthusiastic participation. He promised technical help for the intra-governmental group working on the MCC Scorecard and praised Liberia’s efforts to fight corruption and alleviate poverty.
Amy Holman, for her part, expressed her gratitude to the Minister and his group for the visit, shared her thoughts on the caliber of work being done, and reaffirmed her commitment to working with the team.
Assistant Secretary Alexia Latortue of the Treasury Department on Fiscal Affairs stated that Liberia is a strong contender for the pandemic resilience program and that the Treasury is concerned about the World Bank’s IDA replenishment.
The US Treasury’s readiness to work with the Liberian government on the restoration of the US-Liberia Political Dialogue, the US CDC’s support for the pandemic resilience program, and the readiness to work with Liberia on her fiscal programs, public-private partnership (PPP) policy, infrastructure investment, and capacity building were the next assurances she gave to the delegation.
Among the other members of the Liberian delegation attending the meetings were Minister of Agriculture Dr. Alexander Nuetah, Hon. Dehpue Y. Zuo, Deputy Finance Minister for Economic Affairs, and Isaac Yeah, Deputy Chief of Mission at the US Embassy in Washington, D.C., Mr. Edward Smith, Special Assistant to the Minister, and Madam Patience, the Ministry’s Communication Director.
