Monrovia –Finance and Development Planning Minister Augustine Kpehe Ngafuan on Friday, July 10 reaffirmed Liberia’s commitment to accelerating progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), declaring that the country is taking greater ownership of its development agenda despite mounting global economic challenges.
Speaking at the 2026 United Nations High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) on Sustainable Development in New York, Minister Ngafuan presented Liberia’s Third Voluntary National Review (VNR).
Liberia joined 35 other countries presenting VNRs under this year’s HLPF theme: “Transformative, Equitable, Innovative and Coordinated Actions for the 2030 Agenda.”
“Liberia remains firmly focused on delivering inclusive and sustainable development for our people,” Minister Ngafuan told delegates.
ARREST Agenda Anchors SDG Implementation
The Minister highlighted the Government’s ARREST Agenda for Inclusive Development (2025–2029) as Liberia’s roadmap for achieving the SDGs.
The National Development Plan contains 375 development interventions, with approximately 83 percent directly aligned to specific SDG targets — a demonstration of the Government’s commitment to measurable and accountable development.
Key Progress Reported
Minister Ngafuan reported steady gains in quality of life indicators with Human Development Index: 0.510, declination of poverty from 34% in 2020 to 29.6% in 2024 and economic growth – GDP projected at 5.5% in 2026, with inflation down to 5.3% from double digits in 2023.
Key Sectors Highlights
The Minister highlighted several key sectors including health, education and financial inclusion among others.
He pointed out that the health sector continued decline in maternal mortality; disease surveillance systems now detect outbreaks within 24–48 hours.
In the area of education, he told the meeting about rising school enrollment and expanded Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) programs equipping thousands of young Liberians with job-ready skills.
Financial inclusion has moved to another level, as the Minister revealed that Mobile money accounts grew from 1.5 million in 2020 to over 3.5 million today
For water and sanitation, the MFDP boss narrated that access to safe drinking water reached 78.8%; sanitation coverage improved from 18% to 28%.
He asserted that electricity access expanded from 32.7% to 38%, supported by generation capacity of 146 megawatts, driven largely by renewable energy.
Paved roads increased, according to Minister Ngafuan, from approximately 1,300 km in 2023 to 1,450 km by end of 2025, adding that government remains on track to reach 2,000 km by 2029.
For digital transformation and revenue, he furthered that 4G coverage now reaches 80% of Liberia. Domestic revenue grew from US$606.3 million in 2023 to over US$840 million in 2025, lifting the revenue-to-GDP ratio to 15.8%.
The Minister also informed the body that construction has also begun on Liberia’s first Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zone.
Challenges and the Way Forward
The Minister acknowledged significant external pressures, including the withdrawal of support from one of Liberia’s largest development partners in 2025, rising global fuel and food prices linked to the Middle East crisis, and increasing debt servicing obligations.
“Despite these setbacks, Liberia is not retreating. We are taking ownership. We are modernizing tax administration, accelerating digital transformation, strengthening climate resilience, and mobilizing more domestic resources to finance our own development priorities. Our commitment to ensuring that no Liberian is left behind remains steadfast,” Minister Ngafuan said.
He noted that the Third VNR was developed through a highly participatory process, with more than 40% of consultations led by civil society organizations, women, youth, and persons with disabilities.
In closing, Minister Ngafuan called for stronger international partnerships, increased private sector investment, innovative financing, technology transfer, and enhanced global cooperation to help accelerate progress toward the 2030 Agenda.
Liberia Delegation
Joining Minister Ngafuan at the HLPF were R. Matenokay Tingban, Minister of Mines and Energy and Cooper Kruah, Minister of Labour.
