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By Judoemue M. Kollie
The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and the Government of Liberia, through the Ministry of Agriculture (MOA), have concluded a two-day stakeholders’ consultation workshop aimed at a design of the new Country Strategic Opportunities Programme (COSOP) for Liberia to stimulate agricultural growth in the country.
The COSOP which is a five years (2026-2030) strategic food security framework design will build on successes, achievements as well as lessons learned from the current COSOP leveraging areas of comparative advantages.
The new COSOP for Liberia comes following the United States Government’s freeze for international assistance which has created some gaps for the country’s agriculture.
Aimed at delivering an integrated and transformative agriculture, the COSOP strategy shall aligned with the National Agriculture Development Plan (NADP) which was formulated by the Liberia government two years ago to transform the agri-food system and to improve the economy.
The consultative workshop brought together stakeholders, including government officials, farmers, processors, civil society actors, and women and youth representatives as well as other private sector members.
Speaking at the workshop, the IFAD Country Director, Pascaline Barankeba said for many years, IFAD has remained a steadfast and committed partner to Liberia’s development goal, specifically in the area of agriculture to revitalize agriculture.
She said the new strategic framework for the country will ensure the consolidation of achievements and lessons from the past interventions in line with the policies and strategies of the country’s agriculture.
IFAD, a multilateral development organization has been in Liberia since the end of the civil war working with the Liberian government to revitalize agriculture in the country.
Madame Barankeba said there have been significant strides made in the implementation of the COSOL for the past years to change the lives of people in rural communities, however, this was time to do things differently to to accelerate on the gains.
“As we reflect on the results of the COSOP Completion Review, we acknowledge the strides made in improving smallholder productivity, strengthening value chains, and increasing market access. However, we must also ask ourselves: How can we do things better? How can we ensure that our interventions are more impactful, inclusive, and sustainable? This workshop provides the platform to collectively answer these questions,” she said.
The IFAD Country Director said that the new framework implementation will require a strong commitment from national stakeholders to obtain its objectives. She cautioned stakeholders to think differently and act strategically to transform rural communities.
“Let us challenge ourselves to think differently, act strategically, and commit to delivering an innovative, inclusive, and ambitious yet practical COSOP that will uplift rural farmers, empower women and youth, people with disabilities, and Indigenous populations, and contribute to a food-secure and resilient Liberia where the private sector should play a critical role,” she said.
Also speaking, Deputy Agriculture Minister of Planning and Development David Akoi said that the Ministry welcomes the new project and said his ministry is making sure that every project is aligned with the NADP.
He praised IFAD for its immense contribution to improving the lives of rural people. Minister Akoi called on all actors within the sector to complement efforts in implementing agricultural programs.
For his part, the Deputy Finance Minister for Economic Management, Dehpue Duo said that the IFAD project coming in will help address the gap for agriculture which came as the result of the USAID‘s cut.
He said that the Liberian government is formulating strategies to address the challenge facing the sector being created as the result of the freeze.
The new COSOP’s overall goal is to increase incomes and employment opportunities for rural men and women while building resilience to climate change and food insecurity.
