President Joseph Boakai has called on development partners to forge a united front in implementing Liberia’s new national development blueprint, the ARREST Agenda for Inclusive Development (AAID), as the country seeks to raise nearly $8.4 billion over the next five years.
Delivering the keynote address at the high-level Government of Liberia and Development Partners Retreat on Thursday, April 17, 2025, at the EJS Ministerial Complex in Congo Town, President Boakai made a compelling case for bold, transformative investments in key sectors such as Agriculture, Roads, Rule of Law and Governance, Education, Sanitation and Health, and Tourism, the six pillars of the ARREST Agenda.
“We must now rethink and retool,” President Boakai said, emphasizing the urgent need for capacity development, economic relief, and institutional transformation in the face of mounting domestic challenges and an increasingly uncertain global funding landscape.
Speaking before Cabinet members, diplomats, development partners, civil society, the private sector, and diaspora representatives, President Boakai said the retreat comes as the government seeks to “enhance strategic partnership” and “explore innovative financing” to ensure the successful implementation of the AAID.
President Boakai described Liberia’s developmental hurdles in stark terms- children out of school, rising youth unemployment, increasing drug abuse, and deep economic disparities affecting women and persons with disabilities, citing the pressing need for inclusive growth and long-term solutions rather than short-term interventions.
“We build a better foundation of peace when we build an economy that creates jobs, provides income, and delivers service to the people,” he said. “We encourage the United Nations and our international partners to focus more on addressing the root causes of our developmental challenges, rather than just the consequences such as peace-building interventions,” President Boakai stated.
President Boakai acknowledged that the estimated $8.4 billion needed to fully implement the ARREST Agenda over five years is a tall order, but one that Liberia must embrace through strategic partnerships, innovation, and efficient resource mobilization.
He assured the international community of his government’s unwavering commitment to transparency, accountability, and collaboration, stressing that the Liberian people must be empowered to actively participate in the development process and hold institutions accountable.
President Boakai pledged his administration’s full cooperation with the banking sector to boost financing for entrepreneurs and urged private sector players to align investments with national priorities, calling on civil society to serve as both watchdogs and collaborators.
“To the United Nations and the rest of our development partners, we thank you for your contributions and for joining us to undertake this important venture. We look forward to the outcome of this retreat as we work together in a spirit of honest cooperation to steer our country toward a transformed future,” he stated.
The retreat is expected to produce a roadmap for aligning donor support with national priorities, ensuring that Liberia’s aspirations for inclusive and sustainable development become a reality.
