Message from Hon. Boima S. Kamara, Minister of Finance and Development Planning of the Republic of Liberia / National Authorizing Officer
Welcome to the official website of the National Authorizing Office (NAO) of the Republic of Liberia. This website provides relevant and important information about European Union funding to Liberia through the European Development Fund (EDF).
Over the last decade, Liberia transitioned from the end of the war in 2003 to economic recovery and growth to the consolidation of democratic governance. But these gains were challenged by significant crises. In the last decade, the country has been buffeted by four major crises: two of macroeconomic origin and two health epidemics. In 2013, Liberia was hit hard by the global collapse in commodity prices, which saw the price of iron ore plummet from USD 185 per dried metric ton to around USD 65 per MT. While Liberia dealt with these shocks, the Ebola Viral Disease broke out in 2014, exacerbating an already difficult economic situation and plunging economic growth to -2.17. Post-Ebola recovery was slow and painful but was reversed in 2018 by another macroeconomic storm characterized by rapid exchange rate instability and liquidity challenges in the banking sector. By January 2019, on account of serious macroeconomic reforms under an IMF-Supported Program, this second macroeconomic crisis had been contained, with the end-2020 economic growth projection put at around 0.5 percent. However, COVID-19 and its disruptions reversed this positive growth projection to a low of -2.5 percent by the end of 2020. Currently, the Government is in the throes of placing the country on yet another path of economic recovery after a second major health epidemic.
Delivering an effective response to macro and health crises, building the framework for economic resilience, diversifying the Liberian economy, deepening agriculture transformation, improving infrastructure, and transforming the critical social sector remain priorities of the Government under the PAPD.
The European Union, through the National Authorizing Office (NAO) of the European Development Fund (EDF), housed within the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning (MFDP), remains an important partner along the journey to delivering transformation for all Liberians.
As the National Authorizing officer, and as Minister of Finance and Development Planning, I have had the responsibility to coordinate the flow of EU development assistance to Liberia with the aim of delivering in a whole host of areas.
As a result of numerous multilateral engagements with the EU, the Government of Liberia over the past two years was able to sign several financing agreements valued at more than EUR 60 million, with about EUR 18 million coming in the form of general budget support. These resources have generally been aligned with the PAPD, as such alignment is a significant requirement under Liberia’s freshly minted National AID and NGO policy.
The Government and people of Liberia highly appreciate EU support to Liberia, which targets key sectors and areas to include: agriculture, education (TVET), climate change, fisheries, energy, infrastructure, and governance.
It is our hope that partnership with the EU will help achieve the goals of the PAPD and bring prosperity to the people of Liberia. We remain committed to working with the EU to improve the effectiveness of aid and development assistance, to enhance prioritization and selectivity of projects and programs to deliver better results in TVET, where the EU and the Government aim to avail skills to young people, in expanding electricity to households, in transforming agriculture, where the EU wants to make a huge dent, in advancing the agenda on climate change, in improving governance and in building roads, where the Government wants to attract new rounds of EU funding.
Together with the EU, we can make Liberia a better, fairer, inclusive, and more prosperous country for all!
Hon. Boima S. Kamara
Minister of Finance and Development Planning / National Authorizing Officer
