By George S Tengbeh
Let me firstly say, I don’t believe in foreign aid. Liberia is too RICH to be FOREIGN AID dependent. “𝐀𝐧𝐲 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐜𝐞𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐥𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐥𝐲 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐢𝐠𝐧 𝐚𝐢𝐝 (𝐋𝐨𝐚𝐧, 𝐆𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐞𝐭𝐜) 𝐜𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐲 𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐬 𝐯𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐫𝐞𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐛𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐬𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐭𝐡 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐝𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐩𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭” ~George S Tengbeh
“𝐇𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮, 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐥 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐜𝐡 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞”. “𝐀 𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐝𝐞𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫’𝐬 𝐭𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 i𝐬 𝐚𝐥𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐜𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐡𝐮𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫.”
~𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐲 𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐯𝐚𝐥, 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐰𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐛𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐬. ~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 “compact”, 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?
𝐇𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐌𝐂𝐂 𝐀𝐩𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐝 𝐆𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐋𝐢𝐛𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐚?
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.
𝐂𝐃𝐂 – 𝐑𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐦𝐞 (𝐌𝐂𝐂 𝐬𝐜𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐞𝐭𝐬) 𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝|𝐬𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐞𝐝 $𝟓𝟎𝟎 𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐆𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐭? 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐝?
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$500 million. 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.
𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐰𝐞 𝐧𝐨𝐰? 𝐇𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐰𝐞 𝐪𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 $𝟓𝟎𝟎𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐆𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐌𝐂𝐂?
Liberia subsequently regained eligibility in late 2024 (by passing 14 out of 20 indicators), but that qualification does not automatically equal another $500 million award; it simply opens the possibility of negotiating a new compact, which has yet to materialize as of mid‑2025
𝐅𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐝?
Liberia has had one MCC compact approved, for approximately US$257 million in 2015, and has never received a $500 million compact to date.
𝐂𝐮𝐫𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬: 𝐋𝐢𝐛𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐧𝐬, 𝐈𝐭’𝐬 𝐓𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐀𝐬𝐤 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐑𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐐𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐜𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐧𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠.
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 it’s 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 President’s 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?
Shouldn’t we be hearing solutions instead of slogans? Isn’t 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, don’t let another regime fool you with staged “good news” while reality worsens daily.
Don’t 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.
“𝐈𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰 𝐚 𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐩𝐮𝐭 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫 𝐢𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐦𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐡, 𝐧𝐞𝐱𝐭 𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐩𝐮𝐭 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐝.”
~𝐃𝐞𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐲 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐝𝐞𝐞𝐩𝐞𝐫 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐥; 𝐬𝐦𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐬𝐮𝐛𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐨𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐝𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧.
George S Tengbeh
Labour and Environmental Justice Advocate
