Big Picture: Solid Progress, Uneven Focus. In his 2026 State of the Nation Address (SONA), President Joseph Nyamah Boakai reflected on the first two years of his administration, pointing to steady progress in stabilizing the economy, reforming public finances, improving infrastructure, and rebuilding Liberia’s international partnerships. The speech was firmly built around the government’s flagship ARREST Agenda: Agriculture, Roads, Rule of Law, Education, Sanitation, and Tourism (Government of Liberia, 2026).
By Morris Koffa, PhD, contributing writer
Overall, the evidence shared, backed by macroeconomic data, shows real gains. Inflation dropped to historic lows, economic growth exceeded expectations, domestic revenue collection improved, and Liberia’s global standing strengthened through renewed diplomatic engagement and multilateral recognition (IMF, 2025; World Bank, 2025).
That said, the address also revealed an imbalance between ambition and follow-through. While agriculture and road construction received strong attention, other pillars of the ARREST Agenda, especially rule of law, education, sanitation, tourism, environmental protection, and climate change, were mentioned only briefly or in passing. This raises an important question.
Economic Performance and Fiscal Reforms: Building a Stronger Base
The strongest part of the SONA focused on economic performance and fiscal reforms. Liberia’s economy reportedly grew by about 5.1 percent in 2025, beating earlier projections. Inflation fell to around 4 percent, its lowest level in more than 20 years, helping ease cost-of-living pressures. Foreign exchange reserves increased, and the Liberian dollar showed modest appreciation signs of improved monetary stability (IMF, 2025).
On the fiscal side, the government highlighted record domestic revenue collection, reducing reliance on donor funding. The passage of a national budget exceeding US$1 billion also signaled growing fiscal capacity and confidence (World Bank, 2025). These are meaningful achievements, even though the economy remains vulnerable due to continued dependence on external financing and commodity exports, something made clear by the disruptions caused by declining donor funds in 2025.
The President also announced the creation of 70,000 jobs, an impressive figure by any standard. However, the address did not clearly explain which ARREST sectors generated these jobs, whether they are short-term or long-term, or how sustainable they are. Greater clarity here would strengthen public understanding and confidence.
Climate and Environment: A Notable Silence
From an environmental and climate perspective, one of the most striking gaps in the 2026 SONA was the limited attention given to climate change and environmental governance. This is not a minor oversight; it has serious strategic implications.
Liberia is one of the most climate-vulnerable countries in West Africa. Coastal erosion is forcing communities to relocate, flooding regularly disrupts life in Monrovia, poor waste management worsens public health risks, mining pollution damages land and water systems, and urban fires increasingly affect densely populated areas (EPA Liberia, 2024; UNDP, 2023). These challenges directly threaten food security, infrastructure, health, and economic productivity.
Development that ignores environmental safeguards is fragile by nature. Roads, homes, and jobs lose value when they are repeatedly damaged by floods, fires, pollution, and ecosystem degradation. Climate shocks now routinely undo development gains, deepen poverty, and place unexpected financial pressure on government budgets (World Bank, 2023).
While the administration has taken some positive steps, such as establishing a Carbon Market Task Force, the lack of a clear climate and environmental narrative in the SONA suggests that these issues are not yet top political priorities. The address missed a valuable opportunity to frame climate resilience as an economic, social, and national security concern. As a result, a key contradiction remains: long-term development goals are being pursued without fully protecting the natural systems that support them.
Conclusion
President Boakai’s 2026 State of the Nation Address highlights real and commendable progress. Economic stabilization, fiscal reform, infrastructure development, and improved international engagement are genuine achievements. At the same time, uneven attention across the ARREST Agenda, limited focus on social sectors and governance outcomes, and the marginal treatment of climate and environmental issues weaken the long-term development vision.
For the ARREST Agenda to become more than a catch phrase, future policy discussions will need to show stronger balance across all pillars, fully integrate cross-cutting challenges like climate resilience and environmental sustainability, and better align short-term economic gains with Liberia’s long-term survival and prosperity.
