Monrovia — Heads of various foreign missions accredited to Liberia vow to stand with the government and people of Liberia in the wake of the United States Government's cut in aid.
On February 28, 2025, Liberia's Finance Minister Augustine Kpehe Ngafuan and Deputy Minister for Economic Management Dephue Zuo held a strategic meeting with heads and members of the Diplomatic Corps, led by UN Resident Coordinator Christine N. Umutoni, to discuss the impact of the USAID aid freeze and measures the government is implementing to address the situation.
UN Resident Coordinator Ms. Umutoni presided over the meeting, which was attended by the Dean of the Diplomatic Corps, Cameroonian Ambassador Augustine Gang, as well as the Ambassadors of the United States, EU, Germany, Nigeria, and Ghana, among many others.
The USAID aid cut, which presents a significant challenge for Liberia, has left a vacuum in Liberia's development drive.
Deputy Minister Zuo highlighted the freeze's growing effects, while Minister Augustine Ngafuan emphasized the need for continued partnership with international donors.
He expressed confidence that Liberia will overcome this challenge, citing past crises like the 2008/2009 global food, fuel, and financial crisis, the Ebola outbreak, and the COVID-19 pandemic.
He stressed that strong support from Liberia's bilateral and multilateral partners is key to enabling the country to address those crises.
He notes that expenditure rationalization and robust domestic resource mobilization are the key measures the government is implementing to address the crises.
Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters
Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox
He informed partners that, as the situation evolves, the government will take further proactive and reactive measures to mitigate the shock's impact.
Minister Ngafuan states that the government will be intervening to continue some critical interventions in health and education that the USAID aid cut will affect and calls on scale-up support from other partners to assist or complement the government's response.
The Diplomatic Corps, including Ambassadors from Cameroon, Nigeria, the EU, Germany, the UK, and UN Women, reaffirmed their support for Liberia during this difficult time.
During the meeting, the European Union Ambassador announced that the EU would support Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) in observing the Nimba By-election.
USAID's support for election observation in Liberia was one of the areas affected by President Trump's recent aid cancellation.
The Ambassadors assert that their countries will stand with Liberia in thick and thin, despite ongoing challenges engulfing the country due to the indefinite suspension of all USAID-funded projects.
Minister Ngafuan tells Ambassadors at the meeting that the government will provide further updates to partners in coming weeks and that government, with support from the UN Resident Coordinator's Office and UNDP, is planning a Partners Roundtable at end of March 2025 to further discuss the USAID aid and support to the ARREST AGENDA for Inclusive Development (AAID).
