Liberia’s President George Manneh Weah has lauded the African Development Bank for its “significant” support in fostering growth and development in the West African country.
In a message conveyed by Liberia’s Ambassador to Côte d’Ivoire Willye Mai King, President Weah thanked the Bank Group, led by Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, for providing critical support to Liberia, including funding the pavement of the Harper-Fish Town highway.
Ambassador King relayed the message to Mr. Rufus N. Darkortey, the Bank’s Executive Director representing The Gambia, Ghana, Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Sudan, during a working visit to the Bank’s Abidjan headquarters. The meeting explored ways to strengthen the bilateral relationship between Liberia and the Bank.
Ambassador King highlighted the importance of continued cooperation to promote economic growth and social progress in Liberia, and the broader African continent, while supporting the growth of the Bank.
Welcoming the Ambassador, Mr. Darkortey, a Liberian national, commended President Weah and the people of Liberia for their efforts in implementing reforms and projects for sustainable development. He reiterated the commitment of his office to support Liberia’s development agenda and those of other constituency members in line with strategic engagements with the Bank.
ED Darkortey thanked Ambassador King for her long service to the Bank as a former employee. Ambassador King previously worked at the Bank for about 25 years in various capacities. The meeting concluded with both parties reaffirming their commitment to working closely together to advance sustainable development in Liberia and Africa while supporting a stronger Bank.
Ambassador King was accompanied by the consular at the Liberian Embassy in Abidjan, Philip Scolo.
The visit by the Ambassador shows the significance of the partnership between Liberia and the African Development Bank, which dates to the 1960s when Liberia, represented by Dr. Romeo Alexander Horton, then Central Bank Governor, conceived and actualized the vision to establish the African Development Bank.
In 2013, the Bank provided $55.91 million in mixed financing for the Fish Town-Harper Road Phase I project.
As of 14 July 2023, total loans and grants amounted to $916.64 million. The current active portfolio in Liberia comprises 16 operations with a total commitment of $378.79 million across various sectors. The transport sector is the largest beneficiary with 60.6% of total commitments, followed by Power (25.2%), agriculture (8.0%), multi-sector (4.8%), Finance (1%), and social (0.4%).
