GOVERNMENT, IFAD LAUNCH JOINT PORTFOLIO SUPERVISION MISSION TO ACCELERATE AGRICULTURAL PROJECT DELIVERY

MONROVIA, Liberia – September 22, 2026: The Government of Liberia and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) have launched a Portfolio Supervision Mission to assess implementation progress, address bottlenecks, and strengthen the delivery of IFAD-supported agricultural investments across Liberia.

Agriculture Minister Dr. J. Alexander Nuetah officially launched the mission, reaffirming the Government’s commitment to its partnership with IFAD and calling for greater urgency in delivering results for farmers.

Running from September 22 to October 9, 2026, the mission in-country will review the Tree Crops Extension Project Phase II (TCEP-II), Building Climate Resilience in the Rice and Cocoa Sectors Project (BCRP), Smallholder Agriculture Transformation and Agribusiness Revitalization Project (STAR-P), and Investing in Livelihood Resilience and Soil Health in ACP Countries (ILSA) projects.

“IFAD is one of our most critical partners in Liberia, with a great footprint in the agriculture sector, especially in rural road infrastructure development and the establishment of a National Cocoa Seed Garden. The Government will fully work with you to ensure that this mission is successful,” Minister Nuetah said.

The Minister also underscored Liberia’s growing commitment to its partnership with IFAD, saying the Government intends to honor its financial commitments while increasing its contribution to support the Fund’s continued investment in agricultural development.

“The Government of Liberia has committed US$300,000 as our contribution to the IFAD14 replenishment. We’ve made 50 percent payment on our IFAD13 commitment; the remaining will be paid, and then we focus on IFAD14,” Minister Nuetah said.

He also called for faster implementation of planned activities, highlighting mechanization, feeder roads, extension services, cocoa value addition and technical capacity building among areas where Liberia wants to deepen collaboration with IFAD.

IFAD Country Director and Representative for Liberia (Appointed), Mr. Marcelin Norvilus, welcomed the Government’s commitment and described IFAD’s portfolio performance in Liberia as strong.

“The overall portfolio performance remains very strong, thanks to the Government’s commitment, my predecessor, the country team and the PIU. We currently have no project classified as a problem project or potential problem project,” Mr. Norvilus said.

He also welcomed Liberia’s commitment to complete its IFAD13 contribution and recognized the increased pledge for the next replenishment cycle as laudable.

“I’m glad to hear the Government’s commitment to pay the balance for IFAD13 and the new commitment, which has tripled from US$100,000 to US$300,000,” Mr. Norvilus said.

The mission will review the physical and financial implementation progress of the projects’ Annual Work Plans and Budgets (AWPBs), assess progress on recommendations from previous missions and identify operational challenges affecting implementation.

Also Importantly, the mission will examine the coherence, complementarity, and strategic alignment among TCEP-II, BCRP, STAR-P, and ILSA projects; identify opportunities for greater synergy among the projects.

The exercise brings together Government officials, IFAD representatives, project teams and technical specialists from relevant institutions, including the Ministries of Agriculture, Finance and Development Planning, and Public Works, as well as other participating government agencies.

Through its partnership with the Government of Liberia, IFAD supports investments to strengthen agricultural value chains, improve food security and climate resilience, expand rural infrastructure, and create economic opportunities for smallholder farmers, particularly women and youth.

The Portfolio Supervision Mission concludes on October 9, 2026, with findings and agreed actions expected to strengthen implementation and results across IFAD-supported investments in Liberia