By P. Vangerline Kpotoe
MONROVIA, June 9 (LINA) – Liberia’s Finance and Development Planning Minister, Augustine Kpehe Ngafuan, who chairs the African Development Bank (AfDB) Constituency 15, has highlighted the resilience of member states in the face of growing global economic uncertainty and pushed for closer collaboration and stronger institutional backing from the African Development Bank Group.
Constituency 15 brings together The Gambia, Ghana, Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Sudan to coordinate with the AfDB on development financing, governance, and economic transformation.
Speaking at the constituency’s Annual Meeting in Brazzaville, Congo, on Monday, May 25, 2026, as the AfDB’s Annual Meetings got underway, Minister Ngafuan pointed out that member countries are navigating a tough global landscape marked by high inflation, volatile commodity prices, climate-related shocks, and tighter access to external funding.
Even with these pressures, he commended the resilience shown across the constituency and stressed that expanded analytical, advisory, and financial support is urgently needed to help countries build stronger macroeconomic buffers, diversify their economies, and secure long-term resilience.
Ngafuan emphasized that affordable and predictable financing is vital for fragile and transition states in the bloc. He called for a substantial replenishment of the African Development Fund (ADF), continued support for the Transition Support Facility (TSF), and wider use of innovative financing tools such as blended finance and private-sector mobilization instruments.
He also underlined the need for greater representation of constituency countries within the AfDB workforce and for stronger decentralized operations. A more effective country-level presence, he noted, improves project implementation, accountability, and the delivery of development results.
The Minister reaffirmed the constituency’s backing for reforms aimed at boosting the Bank’s efficiency, transparency, and responsiveness to member states, and encouraged ongoing partnership between the Bank and African governments to advance sustainable development goals.
In Liberia, Ngafuan reported positive macroeconomic trends despite ongoing structural challenges and external shocks.
He reported that Liberia continues to achieve steady, though modest, growth driven by agriculture, mining, and services, while advancing structural reforms to strengthen domestic revenue collection, improve public financial management, and create a better business climate.
Liberia’s current AfDB portfolio includes 17 projects worth about US$350 million, spanning transportation, energy, agriculture, governance, and finance. Transport makes up 64 percent of the portfolio, reflecting Liberia’s focus on improving road connectivity, regional integration, and trade facilitation.
“Improvements in portfolio performance between 2023 and 2025. Liberia’s disbursement rate rose from 43 percent in 2023 to 51 percent by November 2025, while the share of flagged projects fell from 47 percent to 32 percent,” the MFDP boss asserted.
He credited the gains to closer collaboration between the Government of Liberia and the Bank.
Minister Ngafuan reaffirmed Liberia’s commitment to the African Development Bank Group and its mission across the continent, stating: “We came here in a spirit of partnership, accountability, and shared ambition to build an Africa that is prosperous, inclusive, and resilient.”