At the 15th Ministerial Meeting of the Coalition of Finance Ministers for Climate Action held on the margins of the World Bank/IMF Spring Meetings Liberia’s Finance and Development Planning Minister, Augustine Kpehe Ngafuan, stood tall advocating for climate justice.
Liberia as we all know is paying a disproportionate price for a crisis the country did little to create, despite being a low emitter and facing a high vulnerability.
Minister Ngafuan informed the world that Liberia is among the world’s lowest greenhouse gas emitters, yet ranks among the most climate-vulnerable nations. He spoke about the rising sea levels, coastal erosion, flooding, and inconsistent rainfall which are already threatening agriculture, infrastructure, and livelihoods across the country.
Data has shown that nearly 60 percent of Liberia’s population lives along the coastline, something that makes communities highly exposed to danger. For minister Ngafuan he hides his words when he revealed that a single storm can wipe out homes and small businesses within hours, particularly in densely populated coastal areas.
Despite these challenges, Liberia, he noted, has positioned itself as a proactive climate leader. Stating that the country was an early signatory to the Paris Agreement and plays a key role in protecting the Upper Guinean rainforest one of Africa’s most critical carbon sinks through REDD+ and forest conservation initiatives.
He spoke about the excellent leadership in the sector revealing that central to this leadership is Liberia’s updated climate strategy, its Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC 3.0). The plan commits the country to a 64 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2035 compared to business-as-usual levels, alongside a long-term pathway to net-zero emissions.
The NDC, according to Minister Ngafuan, is not just an environmental policy, but a comprehensive development blueprint aligned with Liberia’s national agenda or the Arrest Agenda for Inclusive Development AAID. This development plan, he told partners, spans energy transition, agriculture, forestry, transport, waste management, and resilience systems.
While climate action has become an economic strategy, the minister framed climate action as an engine for economic transformation. He revealed that Liberia is investing in climate-smart agriculture to strengthen food security and rural incomes, expanding renewable energy to reduce dependence on biomass, and prioritizing coastal protection in high-risk areas such as West Point and Greenville.
These efforts, he indicated, are also designed to generate jobs, reduce poverty, and integrate women, youth, and local communities into climate governance.
However, Minister Ngafuan was candid about the limits: more than 80 percent of Liberia’s mitigation and adaptation targets depend on external financing.
The once a year gathering provided the right platform to make the right statement and that was a Call for Climate Finance and Fairness. The erudite finance minister told global leaders and partners that “Climate justice must be at the center,” he stressed. Liberia, he noted, cannot be forced to choose between immediate development needs and long-term resilience.
He called for increased grant-based and concessional financing, Debt-for-climate swaps, investment in coastal defenses and resilience infrastructure, improved early warning systems and institutional capacity as well as fair compensation for forest conservation through carbon markets under Article 6 of the charter on forest governance.
As he spoke, partners and global leaders became more attentive stating that “Our forests are global public goods,” Ngafuan said, arguing that protecting them delivers benefits far beyond Liberia’s borders and should be matched with sustained international support.
Additionally, the Regional Economic Outlook for Sub-Sahara Africa showcasing a fragile context couldn’t be ignored as Liberia’s appeal comes against a challenging regional backdrop outlined in the IMF Regional Economic Outlook Sub-Saharan Africa 2026.
After a relatively strong 2025, with growth estimated at 4.5 percent, Sub-Saharan Africa’s outlook has weakened. Growth is projected to slow to 4.3 percent in 2026 amid rising global uncertainty, the report said.
It mentioned that a key driver of economic uncertainty is the ripple effect of geopolitical tensions, including conflict in the Middle East, which has pushed up fuel and fertilizer prices.
These shocks according to the report are expected to: disrupt agricultural production, increase food insecurity and drive inflation across vulnerable economies, like Malawi, South Sudan and Burundi among others.
The report reemphasized Ngafuan that climate-related shocks compound these risks. Because flooding in parts of Africa and disruptions to fertilizer supply chains threaten food systems.
Economic models, as per the report, suggest that a 20 percent increase in global food prices could raise child malnutrition rates by as much as 47 percent in the hardest-hit countries.
The report also highlighted mounting fiscal and debt pressures as well as deep structural vulnerabilities, revealing that about one-third of African countries face overlapping fiscal, monetary, and external risks, while more than one-third of sub-Saharan countries are at high risk of, or already in, debt distress and in many cases, fiscal deficits exceed levels needed to stabilize debt.
The well detailed pointed out about rising debt service burdens that are crowding out essential spending on development and social programs. While at the same time, declining foreign aid particularly sharp cuts which began in 2025, like the USAID aid cut which affected Liberia and other countries further tightened fiscal space. Liberia was highly affected by the US development assistance aid cancellation in the amount of $250-300 million, which was earmarked for important sectors in the country.
It also mentioned that the increased reliance on domestic borrowing is also creating risks, adding that strengthening the link between governments and banking systems and raising the possibility that fiscal crises could spill over into financial instability was expected.
Policy Challenges Ahead
The outlook stresses the need for careful policy balancing; such that Central banks must manage inflation without stifling growth, governments must protect vulnerable populations while maintaining fiscal discipline, as structural reforms are needed to boost domestic revenue, improve governance, and attract private investment
Countries are also urged in the report to build resilience against recurring shocks; both economic and climate-related.
Liberia’s Position
To conclude, Minister Ngafuan’s remarks provided a clearer picture facing many African economies that are dealing with the current macroeconomic pressures while they plan to invest in long-term climate resilience.
We are aware, especially for Liberians that for Liberia, the stakes are especially high. Climate change is no longer not a distant threat; it is already reshaping the country’s economic and social landscape.
As we know, the country’s ability to respond effectively depends heavily on external support. In spite of Liberia’s commitment to NDC 3.0 ambitious climate action, our success as a country will require “solidarity, fair financing, shared responsibility” in confronting this global crisis.
About the Author: Nicholas Dweh Nimley is a Liberian writer, journalist, and university lecturer. He’s also a socio-and development economist with degrees in economic development, journalism and communication and a doctoral researcher in global communications. He can be contacted using +231776-586-433/886-582-8330, or email: nimleynicholasd@gmail.com
