By George S Tengbeh
Let me firstly say, I donโt believe in foreign aid. Liberia is too RICH to be FOREIGN AID dependent. โ๐๐ง๐ฒ ๐ฅ๐๐๐๐๐ซ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ญ๐ก ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ฉ๐๐ซ๐๐๐ฉ๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐จ๐ ๐๐ฑ๐ฉ๐ฅ๐จ๐ซ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐จ๐ฉ๐ฉ๐จ๐ซ๐ญ๐ฎ๐ง๐ข๐ญ๐ข๐๐ฌ ๐ญ๐จ ๐๐ฉ๐ฉ๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐๐จ๐ซ ๐๐จ๐ซ๐๐ข๐ ๐ง ๐๐ข๐ (๐๐จ๐๐ง, ๐๐ซ๐๐ง๐ญ๐ฌ ๐๐ญ๐) ๐๐ฅ๐๐๐ซ๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐ฅ๐๐๐ค๐ฌ ๐ฏ๐ข๐ฌ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐ฌ ๐ญ๐จ ๐๐ฑ๐ฉ๐๐ง๐ ๐ข๐ง๐ฌ๐ญ๐ข๐ญ๐ฎ๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐๐ฅ ๐ซ๐๐๐จ๐ซ๐ฆ๐ฌ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ญ ๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ฅ๐ ๐๐ซ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ญ ๐ฌ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ญ๐๐ข๐ง๐๐๐ฅ๐ ๐ ๐ซ๐จ๐ฐ๐ญ๐ก ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐๐ฏ๐๐ฅ๐จ๐ฉ๐ฆ๐๐ง๐ญโ ~George S Tengbeh
โ๐๐ ๐ฐ๐ก๐จ ๐๐๐๐๐ฌ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ, ๐๐จ๐ง๐ญ๐ซ๐จ๐ฅ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ ๐ฌ๐ญ๐จ๐ฆ๐๐๐ก ๐๐ง๐ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ ๐ฅ๐ข๐๐โ. โ๐ ๐ฆ๐๐ง ๐ฐ๐ก๐จ ๐๐๐ฉ๐๐ง๐๐ฌ ๐จ๐ง ๐๐ง๐จ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ซ’๐ฌ ๐ญ๐๐๐ฅ๐ i๐ฌ ๐๐ฅ๐ฐ๐๐ฒ๐ฌ ๐๐ญ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ฆ๐๐ซ๐๐ฒ ๐จ๐ ๐ก๐ฎ๐ง๐ ๐๐ซ.โ
~๐๐ก๐๐ง ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐ซ๐๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐จ๐ง ๐จ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ซ๐ฌ ๐๐จ๐ซ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ ๐ฌ๐ฎ๐ซ๐ฏ๐ข๐ฏ๐๐ฅ, ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ ๐ฐ๐๐ฅ๐ฅ๐๐๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐ง๐จ๐ญ ๐ข๐ง ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ ๐จ๐ฐ๐ง ๐ก๐๐ง๐๐ฌ. ~African Parables
The Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) is a United States government foreign aid agency established in 2004 to provide time-limited grants to developing countries that demonstrate a commitment to good governance, economic freedom, and investing in their people. The money for MCC comes directly from U.S. taxpayers through congressional appropriations, and it is not a loan but a grant, meaning it does not have to be repaid.
An MCC grant, also called a โcompactโ, is a large, multi-year funding agreement designed to reduce poverty through sustainable economic growth. In countries like Liberia, MCC grants typically target key development sectors such as infrastructure (e.g., electricity and roads), education, agriculture, and health systems, areas that directly impact economic productivity and improve quality of life.
There are speculations all over social media by operatives and cabinet ministers of our government that the United States government, through the MCC compact, has approved $500 million for Liberia. What are the things you need to know?
๐๐ข๐ฌ๐ญ๐จ๐ซ๐ฒ ๐จ๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐ฉ๐ฉ๐ซ๐จ๐ฏ๐๐ ๐๐ซ๐๐ง๐ญ ๐๐จ๐ซ ๐๐ข๐๐๐ซ๐ข๐?
The Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) has approved a single compact grant of roughly US$257 million for Liberia. This one compact agreement was signed in November 2015 during the Sirleaf administration, supporting infrastructure improvements like the Mt. Coffee Hydropower Plant rehabilitation and road maintenance systems.
๐๐๐ – ๐๐๐ ๐ข๐ฆ๐ (๐๐๐ ๐ฌ๐๐จ๐ซ๐๐ฌ๐ก๐๐๐ญ๐ฌ) ๐๐๐ฅ๐๐ญ๐๐|๐ฌ๐ฎ๐ฉ๐ฉ๐จ๐ฌ๐๐ $๐๐๐ ๐ฆ๐ข๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐๐ซ๐๐ง๐ญ? ๐๐ก๐๐ญ ๐ก๐๐ฉ๐ฉ๐๐ง๐๐?
Liberia has not received a second compact of $500 million, despite expectations. After failing MCC scorecard thresholds under our former President, Weah (notably in 2022 and preceding years), Liberia missed the opportunity to qualify for a subsequent compact that could have been valued at about US$500โฏmillion. Interestingly, the work rate put in late 2023 by the past administration could have shaped the new decision that is now being speculated and shared on social media.
๐๐ก๐๐ซ๐ ๐๐ซ๐ ๐ฐ๐ ๐ง๐จ๐ฐ? ๐๐๐ฏ๐ ๐ฐ๐ ๐ช๐ฎ๐๐ฅ๐ข๐๐ข๐๐ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ ๐๐ญ ๐ญ๐ก๐ $๐๐๐๐ฆ๐ข๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐๐ซ๐๐ง๐ญ ๐๐ซ๐จ๐ฆ ๐๐๐?
Liberia subsequently regained eligibility in late 2024 (by passing 14 out of 20 indicators), but that qualification does not automatically equal another $500โฏmillion award; it simply opens the possibility of negotiating a new compact, which has yet to materialize as of midโ2025
๐ ๐๐ฌ๐ญ ๐๐จ๐ซ๐ฐ๐๐ซ๐?
Liberia has had one MCC compact approved, for approximately US$257 million in 2015, and has never received a $500 million compact to date.
๐๐ฎ๐ซ๐ซ๐๐ง๐ญ ๐ซ๐๐๐ฅ๐ข๐ญ๐ข๐๐ฌ: ๐๐ข๐๐๐ซ๐ข๐๐ง๐ฌ, ๐๐ญโ๐ฌ ๐๐ข๐ฆ๐ ๐ญ๐จ ๐๐ฌ๐ค ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐ข๐ ๐ก๐ญ ๐๐ฎ๐๐ฌ๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐ฌ ๐๐๐๐จ๐ซ๐ ๐๐๐ฅ๐๐๐ซ๐๐ญ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐ง๐ฒ๐ญ๐ก๐ข๐ง๐ .
When will we stop accepting every flashy announcement as truth and start demanding accountability? We were told $5 billion was coming from HPX. What happened? Now itโs suddenly $1.5 billion. Where did the rest go, or was it ever real? And what about the $3 billion we were promised from China? Has anyone seen even a fraction of it? Why haven’t we received the 285 free yellow machines that the Presidentโs close associate supposedly pledged?
And the so-called U.S. scholarships that were going to change lives, why has that dream quietly vanished without explanation? Is this leadership, or just another chapter of political storytelling? Should we not begin questioning how long a government can survive on broken promises?
Are we really okay with a government that thinks Facebook posts and chat room instructions are substitutes for policy and national leadership?
Is propaganda now our new form of governance? Why are the real issues, like the collapsing exchange rate, the suffering of our market women, and the rising cost of living, being ignored while government officials flood social media with empty cheerleading?
Shouldnโt we be hearing solutions instead of slogans? Isnโt it time we asked: is this what we voted for? Real leadership listens, delivers, and respects the people, not one that hides behind digital smoke and mirrors. Wake up, Liberia, donโt let another regime fool you with staged “good news” while reality worsens daily.
Donโt get it twisted, I support the development and growth of this country, but I will NOT buy sentiments and emotionally driven propaganda emanating from someone or a group that is good at using fake news selfishly against the interests of the people in my country.
I will 100% speak against fakery any day.
โ๐๐ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐๐ฅ๐ฅ๐จ๐ฐ ๐ ๐ฆ๐๐ง ๐ญ๐จ ๐ฉ๐ฎ๐ญ ๐ก๐ข๐ฌ ๐๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐ซ ๐ข๐ง ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ ๐ฆ๐จ๐ฎ๐ญ๐ก, ๐ง๐๐ฑ๐ญ ๐ก๐ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐ฉ๐ฎ๐ญ ๐ก๐ข๐ฌ ๐ฐ๐ก๐จ๐ฅ๐ ๐ก๐๐ง๐.โ
~๐๐๐ฉ๐๐ง๐๐๐ง๐๐ฒ ๐๐๐ง ๐ฅ๐๐๐ ๐ญ๐จ ๐๐๐๐ฉ๐๐ซ ๐๐จ๐ง๐ญ๐ซ๐จ๐ฅ; ๐ฌ๐ฆ๐๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐๐๐ญ๐ฌ ๐จ๐ ๐ฌ๐ฎ๐๐ฆ๐ข๐ฌ๐ฌ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐๐๐ง ๐ฅ๐๐๐ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ญ๐จ๐ญ๐๐ฅ ๐๐จ๐ฆ๐ข๐ง๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง.
George S Tengbeh
Labour and Environmental Justice Advocate
