MONROVIA – The United States government’s decision to pause foreign aid for 90 days has already had dire consequences across the global community, and Liberia is seemingly also feeling the pinch. Aware of the situation, Liberia’s House of Elders, the Senate, led by Grand Bassa County Senator Nyonblee Karnga-Lawrence, has been busy around the clock, figuring out a sane way out of the quagmire. In the last couple of days, the Senate continues to hold brainstorming meetings with the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning, as well as other Ministries, Agencies and Commissions, to circumvent if not cure the impact of USAID suspension and its possible permanent cancel. The Analyst reports.
The Liberian Senate’s pursuit of solutions to the U.S. suspension of USAID and accompanying negative impact on the Liberian economy culminated into a meeting Monday, February 24, 2025, engaging sector ministries and agencies particularly affected by the action.
The Senate, through its Committees on Health, Agriculture, Education and Ways, Means, Finance and Budgeting brainstormed together with several the government ministries and agencies in an effort share notes on first-hand information about the impact of the USAID withdrawal and possible solution.
The ministries and agencies provided information to the Senate on the current status of the situation and their respective ideas for the way forward.
Prominent amongst them was the Minister of Finance and Development Planning, Mr. Augustine Kpehe Ngafuan, who informed the Liberian Senate that the Ministry was analyzing and documenting how the USAID shutdown is impacting the country.
The Ministry, he said, was preparing for all eventualities beyond the three months which the US government indicated was the timeframe for the USAID suspension, costing Liberia $118 in loss.
The impact of the cut, Ngafuan said, affects several government institutions that include Health, Education, Elections, and Domestic revenue mobilization, prayerful that other projects may not be affected in the coming days or weeks.
From the interactions and engagements with the various sector ministries and agencies, the Liberian Senate also uncovered that the Architecture, Engineering, and Construction Oversight Services for Water and Health Infrastructure, which was valued at $2.9 million, and a community-led monitoring project worth $185,000 being implemented by an NGO, were all affected.
One of the largest affected programs is the Education System Strengthening Project, valued at $23.4 million, which aimed to enhance Liberia’s educational sector.
Other projects on the list include Elections and Democracy ($15.9 million) and Local Empowerment for Accountability and Decentralization (LEAD) ($17.9 million).
The Senate Committees’ public hearings on the analysis and way-forward on the impact of the cancellation of the USAID to Liberia is an outcome of the Senate plenary’s decision last Tuesday, February 4, 2025, asking the Committees on Ways, Means and Finance, Foreign Affairs, and Agriculture to work with relevant government ministries and agencies to explore and establish shock-absorbers to the prevailing aid cut.
The decision from plenary was triggered by a joint communication submitted by Senators Amara Konneh (Gbarpolu), Gbezohngar Findley (Grand Bassa), Abraham Darius Dillon (Montserrado), and Augustine Chea (Sinoe), who collectively emphasized the urgent need for the Liberian government to reassess its budgeting and to develop financing strategies due to the possible disruption of USAID-funded initiatives.
Founded in 1961 by President John F. Kennedy, USAID has played an essential role in global development, and its impact in Liberia is far-reaching, affecting sectors such as health, education, and governance among other key sector areas.
The Trump administration’s shift in foreign aid policy has raised alarms, particularly with the agency’s cancellation and or freeze of all projects worldwide for a period of 90 days, citing the need to realign USAID’s efforts with the “America First” agenda.
With such policy, members of the Liberian Senate led by Pro Tempore Nyounblee Karnga Lawrence, has been seeking possible solution for a way forward for the common good of Liberia.
The hearings, chaired by Grand Cape Mount County Senator Debah Varpilah who also chairs the Senate health committees, were used to ask the Finance Ministry in particular to provide a full detailed analysis report that will inform the Senate on the next course of action.
The Ministries of Education and Health have also been cited to return and provide more information on the situation. Health Minister proper, not deputies, is asked to form part of the hearing.
Fantastic beat ! I wish to apprentice whilst you amend your website, how can i subscribe for a weblog web site? The account helped me a applicable deal. I have been tiny bit acquainted of this your broadcast offered shiny transparent idea
I too think thence, perfectly written post! .
The root of your writing while appearing agreeable at first, did not really sit properly with me personally after some time. Somewhere throughout the paragraphs you managed to make me a believer but just for a while. I still have got a problem with your leaps in assumptions and one would do nicely to help fill in those gaps. When you can accomplish that, I could certainly be amazed.
It¦s truly a nice and useful piece of information. I am glad that you shared this helpful information with us. Please stay us informed like this. Thank you for sharing.
Good day very cool web site!! Guy .. Beautiful .. Wonderful .. I will bookmark your website and take the feeds also?KI’m satisfied to search out so many helpful information here within the post, we want work out more strategies in this regard, thanks for sharing. . . . . .
Can I just say what a relief to find someone who actually knows what theyre talking about on the internet. You definitely know how to bring an issue to light and make it important. More people need to read this and understand this side of the story. I cant believe youre not more popular because you definitely have the gift.
It’s hard to find knowledgeable people on this topic, but you sound like you know what you’re talking about! Thanks
Wow! This could be one particular of the most useful blogs We’ve ever arrive across on this subject. Basically Great. I am also an expert in this topic so I can understand your hard work.