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Press Release
Monrovia, July 7, 2025 — Ahead of President Joseph Nyuma Boakai’s highly anticipated visit to Washington, D.C. for the Special African Summit on Commerce and Trade, the National Rice Federation of Liberia has issued a passionate appeal urging the Liberian leader to prioritize discussions on the revival of crucial U.S.-funded agricultural programs that were recently terminated.
In a letter addressed to President Boakai, the Federation expressed profound gratitude for his leadership and congratulated him on being selected as one of the few African heads of state invited to meet with U.S. President Donald J. Trump at the White House on July 9, 2025.
“We appreciate your leadership as you continue to put the interest of the people at the forefront of your Liberia First agenda,” the Federation wrote, acknowledging the President’s ongoing efforts to champion the welfare of the nation.
The Federation used the opportunity to call on President Boakai to appeal directly to President Trump for the reinstatement of contracts under the United States African Development Foundation (USADF) program in Liberia. The Federation noted that earlier this year, a Stop Work Order issued by the U.S. Government abruptly halted several agricultural initiatives, and that within three months, all associated projects were terminated.
According to the Federation, the termination of these initiatives has had a devastating ripple effect on the country’s agriculture sector — particularly for smallholder farmers, agro-processors, and cooperatives across key value chains including rice, cassava, vegetables, cocoa, and oil palm.
“Planned and ongoing trainings have been halted, seed distribution has been discontinued, and supported processors have had to cease or drastically cut back on their activities,” the Federation lamented. “All this has resulted in reduced food production and negatively impacted national food security.”
The letter emphasized that USADF-funded programs had previously empowered dozens of farmer cooperatives and rural organizations, contributing significantly to food production, nutrition, and livelihoods in Liberia’s rural economy.
As such, the Federation is pleading with President Boakai to leverage the summit to advocate for the resumption of these vital programs. “We are appealing to you, Your Excellency, to kindly ask the U.S. President to reconsider his decision by re-instating contracts under the USADF program as these affect food production and nutrition of Liberians,” the appeal read.
The Federation also commended President Boakai for his recent diplomatic achievement in securing Liberia’s seat on the United Nations Security Council — a move widely seen as a milestone in the country’s global re-engagement.
“We record your superb leadership which resulted in Liberia gaining a seat in the UN Security Council, for which we thank you,” the Federation said. “As you travel to the United States, we are confident that you would ably represent the interests of the people of Liberia” .
The Special African Summit, set to take place on July 9 at the White House, is expected to bring together a select group of African leaders and U.S. officials to discuss deepening trade and investment partnerships between the U.S. and Africa. For Liberia, the summit represents a strategic opportunity to push for renewed support to sectors critical to national development — with agriculture being top of the list.
