On January 15, 2025, the Government of Liberia launched its new national development blueprint—the ARREST Agenda for Inclusive Development (AAID)—marking a major milestone in the country’s journey toward inclusive, people-centered progress. Unveiled in Buchanan, Grand Bassa County, the plan outlines a five-year vision to transform Liberia’s economy, infrastructure, and public services, while strengthening alignment with regional and global development frameworks.
Minister of Finance and Development Planning Augustine K. Ngafuan emphasized the government’s commitment to tackling structural challenges and unlocking Liberia’s potential. The AAID sets ambitious targets: increasing GDP by 37 percent—from US$4.75 billion to US$6.5 billion—and boosting per capita GDP by nearly 24 percent. “This growth will also result in a 23.6 percent increase in per capita GDP, rising from approximately US$850 to US$1,050,” he noted.
Caption: Minister Ngufuan speaking during the AAID Launch Photo: © UN Liberia
In addition to economic transformation, the plan aims to improve human capital outcomes. Life expectancy is projected to rise from 60 to 65 years, maternal mortality to decline from 742 to 440 per 100,000, and the multidimensional poverty rate to drop from 45 percent to 36 percent. If achieved, these outcomes are expected to raise Liberia’s SDG Index ranking by seven places.
Minister Ngafuan described the AAID as “the beginning of building the new superstructure for Liberia’s development,” grounded in the principles of inclusiveness, sustainability, transparency, and accountability. He further noted that the plan is rooted in Liberia’s Vision 2030 and aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the African Union’s Agenda 2063, ECOWAS Vision 2050, and the Doha Programme of Action.
He also acknowledged the valuable contributions of partners including the UN Liberia Country Team, UNECA, and the Joint SDG Fund, whose support helped shape the roadmap for implementation.
Representing the United Nations System, UN Resident Coordinator Christine Umutoni described the AAID as “a defining moment shaped by national ownership and broad-based participation.” The development of the plan drew from consultations across the country and diaspora, ensuring it reflected the voices of young people, farmers, civil society organizations, and the private sector alike. “This inclusivity makes the AAID truly a plan of the people, by the people, and for the people,” she said.
Caption: UN RC Christine Umutoni, speaking during remarks at the AAID Launch Photo: © UN Liberia
Umutoni reaffirmed the UN’s role as a committed partner, underscoring the importance of collaboration:
“By leveraging our collective resources, fostering innovation, and ensuring shared accountability, we can bring all our support together to accelerate progress toward Liberia’s development goals.”
President Joseph Boakai, receiving the final plan, called on all Liberians to rally behind the agenda’s implementation. Achieving its goals, he said, would require collective responsibility and alignment across institutions. “The National Development Plan represents not just a plan, but a shared vision, a bold commitment, and a renewed sense of purpose,” he stated.
He emphasized the urgency of realigning institutional budgets and priorities with the AAID and CDAs and spoke candidly about the country’s ongoing challenges—high unemployment, low literacy, widespread poverty, and poor infrastructure among them. But he also reaffirmed confidence in Liberia’s path forward.
“The AAID calls for a mindset shift that recognizes the potential within every Liberian to drive national development, with the support of our international development partners,” President Boakai concluded.
Note:
All joint programmes of the Joint SDG Fund are led by UN Resident Coordinators and implemented by the agencies, funds and programmes of the United Nations development system. With sincere appreciation for the contributions from the European Union and Governments of Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Monaco, The Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Republic of Korea, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and our private sector funding partners, for a transformative movement towards achieving the SDGs by 2030.
