World Bank Liberia Country Manager Georgia Wallen has highlighted the importance of the agriculture sector to Liberia’s Liberia Rising 2030 goals and sustainable poverty reduction. She noted that while the sector has seen some growth in recent years, averaging 3.5% between 2021-2023, much more progress is needed and key challenges must be tackled.
She praised the National Agriculture Development Plan, stating that it “will be instrumental in laying the foundation for strong delivery on the ARREST agenda – with Agriculture as a leading pillar.”
Increased productivity in agriculture depends on better outcomes in related sectors such as transport and private sector development, the World Bank official said when she addressed the government agriculture policy unveiling ceremony in the capital Monrovia.
The World Bank Country Manager reaffirmed the institution’s commitment to engaging actively in the agriculture sector, which represents roughly 20% of their program in Liberia.
She highlighted the Bank’s flagship engagements, the Smallholder Agriculture Transformation and Agribusiness Revitalization Project (STAR-P) and the Rural Economic Transformation Project (RETRAP), as examples of their support.
Wallen also stressed the importance of well-informed, strategic choices based on data and analytical work, such as the World Bank-supported Food and Nutrition Security Preparedness Plan and Liberia’s first Agriculture Census in four decades.
She  welcomed the government’s intention to identify various sources of financing to deliver the plan, including domestic resource mobilization and private capital mobilization. She encouraged the government to engage with the International Finance Corporation to build on ongoing support for agribusiness and mobilizing private investment in agriculture.
