President Joseph Boakai Monday urged private investors to partner with the Liberian government to develop the country’s fisheries infrastructure, arguing public private partnerships are essential to drive growth, create jobs and lift foreign exchange earnings.
Speaking at the National Fisheries Investment Conference in Margibi County, Boakai described Liberia’s coastal resources as an underused asset.
He noted the country has 579 kilometers of coastline yet still imports more than 33,000 metric tons of fish annually, while high value catches are often landed abroad because Liberia lacks a dedicated fishing harbor.
“We are pivoting toward private sector driven growth through public private partnerships, and value chain development that keeps jobs and revenue here in Liberia and increase our foreign direct earnings,” Boakai said, calling the sector a “sleeping giant” ready for investment.
The president outlined a string of projects and funding aimed at making the sector investment ready. Liberia secured a €25 million grant from the European Union to bolster the artisanal fisheries value chain and has struck a partnership with Orange Liberia to roll out mobile payment solutions and solar powered cold storage to reduce postharvest losses.
He cited the imminent operation of the Sea King, the country’s first semi-industrial fiberglass vessel, and a Robertsport fishing cluster developed with World Bank support as examples of Poppled initiatives.
Boakai said the government is advancing designs for a national fisheries harbor and expects construction of a national fisheries complex to begin later this year.
Planned investments under the Liberia Integrated Fisheries Sector Strengthening Project, funded by the OPEC Fund for International Development, include a fisheries competence laboratory to meet export standards, a processing factory to add value, dedicated landing sites for artisanal fishers and the country’s first integrated commercial aquaculture farm.
The presidency is also promoting regulatory changes to attract investment and protect small-scale producers: NaFAA has been reoriented away from reliance on industrial vessel licensing fees, and artisanal fishing license fees were cut by 34% to ease burdens on small fishers, Boakai said.
To guide private engagement, the government will launch three key documents at the conference — a ten-year national fisheries strategic plan, an investment plan and a PPP strategy — and has opened a “Blue Investment Marketplace” to showcase investment opportunities. Boakai framed the move as both an economic and governance signal: “We are open for business, but we are not open for exploitation,” he said.
Development partners, including the World Bank and regional fisheries ministers, attended the conference and pledged continued cooperation on combating illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing — an issue Boakai warned undermines long-term revenue and food security.
Analysts say Liberia’s focus on infrastructure and value addition could lift export potential and foreign exchange receipts if investors materialize and projects are executed transparently.
