Boakai Calls Donors’ Attention To Root Causes of Liberia’s Underdevelopment

By Laurina B. Lormia
President Joseph Boakai, has challenged the international community to pivot from traditional peacekeeping and short-term aid to deeper, long-term investment in Liberia’s structural transformation insisting that development, not dependency, must define the future of the nation.
Speaking at the Government of Liberia and Development Partners’ Retreat held at the EJS Ministerial Complex on Thursday, April 17, 2025, President Boakai made it clear that Liberia’s challenges from youth unemployment and school dropouts to institutional weaknesses and rising drug abuse are rooted in systemic underdevelopment that cannot be solved by “band-aid” interventions.
The President also encouraged the United Nations and international partners to focus more on addressing the root causes of Liberia’s developmental challenges rather than just the consequences such as peacebuilding interventions.
While acknowledging the historical role of peacekeeping in stabilizing Liberia, President Boakai argued that true peace and national cohesion can only be sustained through inclusive economic growth and strong institutions.
“We build a better foundation of peace when we build an economy that creates jobs, provides income, and delivers service to the people,” he declared, setting a new tone for how Liberia intends to frame its relationship with donors moving forward.
President Boakai revealed that implementing the ARREST Agenda for Inclusive Development (AAID) , the country’s ambitious new national development plan, will require nearly US$8.4 billion over the next five years. The ARREST framework focuses on six key pillars: Agriculture, Roads, Rule of Law and Governance, Education, Sanitation and Health, and Tourism.
But beyond the numbers, Boakai emphasized the need for strategic, innovative, and collaborative financing, urging development partners to explore sustainable mechanisms and align their support with Liberia’s priorities, not their own checklists.
Boakai made a passionate appeal for local ownership of the development process. He called on the private sector to invest in priority sectors, on civil society to serve as both watchdogs and collaborators, and on the Liberian people to hold their government accountable while actively participating in national development.
“We must now rethink and retool,” he said. “Our institutions must be equipped to overcome national and global barriers. Success will depend on how well we align resources, enhance capacity, and promote transparency,” he noted.
Describing the retreat as “timely and necessary,” Boakai praised development partners for their ongoing support but warned that the stakes have changed. “This is not business as usual,” he stressed. “Liberia’s transformation demands bold thinking, mutual respect, and a shared sense of responsibility.”
He reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to accountability, cooperation with the banking sector for accessible financing, and partnership with diaspora communities and grassroots organizations to strengthen delivery systems and restore public trust.
As the retreat unfolds, expectations are high that it will produce more than just communiqués. The President’s call for a new development paradigm, one that moves from firefighting crises to building resilience and prosperity, now hangs in the balance.
“In the midst of funding challenges,” Boakai said, “we must discover creative financing strategies and strengthen our institutions. Liberia is richly endowed. Together, we can transform this nation,” he stressed.
The President’s message resonated as a challenge not just to development partners, but to every Liberian that the era of survival must give way to the era of self-determined progress.