Liberia

Liberia is a small and beautiful country that has been devastated by conflict.

Once one of the most stable and prosperous nations in Africa, after two decades of civil war which killed almost ten percent of the population and more than halved the size of the economy, Liberia is only now on the road to recovery. Peace was negotiated in 2003, and in 2005 free and fair elections led to the election of Africa's first female Head of State, President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf.

The Liberian government is trying to move the country towards a more prosperous, stable future with a broad set of policies to foster peace, accelerate reconstruction and development, and build strong systems of governance. Security in the country has stabilised, the economy is growing, roads and buildings are being rebuilt, health clinics and schools are re-opening and agricultural production is increasing.

However, there are still enormous challenges to be faced: the security situation remains fragile, unemployment is high and physical infrastructure such as roads and power is still inadequate. Crucially, the government struggles to find the capacity to deliver effectively for the people of Liberia.

Scoping work for the Liberia Governance Project began in July 2009, and the project was launched in February 2010. As such, the project is at an earlier stage than AGI’s other two programmes. The aim of the project is to build the Government’s capability to deliver its key objectives around poverty reduction.

A team of 5 staff are working in Liberia, building the technical capacity of staff working in the Ministry of State, strengthening coordination within the Ministry and supporting the Government in developing its internal communication systems.

The  AGI project in Liberia will focus its attention on building an effective centre of government in order to enable delivery of critical priorities necessary for the country’s reconstruction and prosperity, such as affordable power, roads and more open and effective ports.

To read more about Tony Blair's visit to Liberia for the launch of the project with President Johnson Sirleaf, click here.

To hear President Johnson Sirleaf and Tony Blair talking about good governance and capacity building click here.

To contact the Liberia team click here.