Liberia: Former Speaker Koffa Urges Creation of National Social Safety Net Fund to Support Vulnerable Liberians

Monrovia – Former House Speaker Jonathan Fonati Koffa has called for the establishment of a US$25M Social Safety Net Fund dedicated to helping vulnerable Liberians meet urgent human needs-specifically, school fees and rent payments.

---

By Emmanuel Conway  

---

In his letter expected to be submitted before plenary today, Thursday, the Grand Kru Electoral District #2 lawmaker maintains that the initiative is in the interest of the struggling citizens across Liberia, who are in crisis.

He states that many families have become migratory, moving from one place to another when rent becomes due.

According to him, the heads of many households no longer go home after work but linger about until midnight because the landlord sits outside the home.

In spite of all this, former Speaker Koffa reveals huge legislative and executive benefits, large and luxurious foreign travel, the purchase of new and more expensive vehicles, and wasteful government spending.

“While we seek to rescue Liberia, our solutions must be equitable, with no one group single out to pay a higher price. More and more families are beginning to fall in the dreadful Liberian category of “poor.” This is not fair. A Government of humans must lift itself to a higher moral order,” asserts Rep. Koffa.

“Mr. Speaker, our people are restless. Across the country, families are crying out for relief. The town is hard. When the people are hungry, when children cannot go to school, when rent becomes an unbearable burden, the government must act. Even the world’s most advanced economies recognize the duty to protect their citizens in difficult times.”

To fund this proposed initiative, Rep. Koffa recommends that government considers key measures including cut non-essential benefits and allowances across the three branches of government, reduction on foreign travel for all public officials, except those on critical national missions, limitation on the purchase of new vehicle within government ministries and agencies, redirection of part of the operational surplus of the Liberia Petroleum Refining Company (LPRC) and borrowing a portion of the required funds from the National Social Security and Welfare Corporation (NASSCORP), to be repaid over time.

“Mr. Speaker, these are not extraordinary sacrifices. They are reasonable and patriotic adjustments to ensure that our people can survive these difficult times. I therefore respectfully request that this communication be read in plenary and forwarded to the appropriate committees for review and subsequent action upon the submission of the 2026 National Budget. Let us, as Representatives of the people, respond with urgency and compassion. The time to act is now,” added the Grand Kru District 2 lawmaker.