India’s Ambassador accredited near Monrovia, H.E. Manoj Bihari Verma, has promised his government’s commitment to boost Liberia’s technical and manpower sector. According to a Ministry of Labour release issued to this paper on Wednesday, October 15, 2025, the Indian Ambassador spoke when twenty-six staff of the Ministry of Labour received certificates in a capacity building training program from the Liberia Institute of Public Administration (LIPA). The training focused on ‘monitoring, Project Management, and Public Financial Management.’
Ambassador Verma informed the graduates and audience at the program that, “We believe that the best thing any country can do is to invest in its people. Through initiatives like the Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC) program, India has shared democratic values and a common vision for development”. The Indian Envoy added that in recent months, India-Liberia’s bilateral cooperation has reached new heights, with trade growing by an impressive 54 percent, reaching nearly US$400 million in the financial year 2024 to 2025. He maintained that the relationship between Liberia and India was built on strong democratic values. Ambassador Verma then assured Labour Ministry officials of the vast opportunities being offered by his country to Liberian public sector workers in various fields, some of which the Ministry could benefit from under a genuine cooperation. For his part Labour Minister Hon. Cllr. Cooper W. Kruah, Sr. expressed delight over the achievement of his staff and challenged them to apply the skills acquired to enhance productivity.
This, he stressed, will lead to the achievement of the set transformative goals of the ‘ARREST AGENDA’ for INCLUSIVE DEVELOPMENT (AAID) of President Joseph Nyumah Boakai and the Rescue Mission Government. The Director-General of the Civil Service Agency (CSA), Hon. Josiah Joekai and the Deputy Director-General for Administration of LIPA, Michael Wah, both commended the Labour Ministry for the initiative to train its staff as one of the key prerequisites in meeting the goals of the Performance Management Compliance System (PMCS). The PMCS Team Lead at the Cabinet Secretariat of the Executive Mansion, Atty. Jamaima Harris, stressed the importance of the ongoing LIPA training for strategic personnel at various government spending ministries and agencies. Speaking on behalf of the graduating class, the Labour Ministry Director of Personnel Mr. Mohfel Dekpah thanked Minister Kruah and his team for seeking to advance employees’ skils to align with the overall objectives of the AAID through PMCS. Meanwhile, several staff members of the Labour Ministry are expected to depart the country shortly to undergo similar capacity-building training in neighboring Sierra Leone.
Earlier, LIPA Deputy Director General Michael Wah disclosed plans by the government to infuse new dynamism into the public sector workforce through skills training, adding that LIPA, in partnership with the Ghana Institute for Public Administration (GIPA), has embarked on providing advanced technical training to Liberian Government workers in various fields.
