A high-level delegation from the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) began a mission in Liberia on Thursday to advance work on the country’s second MCC compact, a milestone in the bilateral development partnership between Liberia and the United States.
Finance Minister Augustine Kpehe Ngafuan welcomed the team and recalled the series of engagements that led to Liberia being reaffirmed as eligible for a second compact at the MCC Board meeting in December 2025, an outcome he described as “a truly good Christmas for our people”.
“These earlier missions, including the growth analysis in September and follow-ups in Washington, D.C., helped build the strong partnership that resulted in reaffirmation for a second compact,” Minister Ngafuan said, describing the path to eligibility as challenging but ultimately successful.
Minister Ngafuan noted that the technical work now begins in earnest. “This is not the end; it’s the start of a process that will require effort, hard work, and a whole-of-government approach to achieving outcomes,” he said, announcing plans to expedite recruitment for the new MCC office in Liberia so that leadership is in place before a key workshop planned for this February.
Minister Ngafuan reaffirmed Liberia’s commitment to working closely with MCC and other partners.
He thanked his team, led by Deputy Minister Dehpue Zuo and senior officials who have been instrumental in coordinating the country’s preparation.
He also acknowledged the contributions of sector ministries and stakeholders across government.
The MCC team is being led by Carrie Monahan, Managing Director for Africa at the Millennium Challenge Corporation, a senior official responsible for coordinating MCC’s engagement with African partner countries.
In her remarks, Monahan highlighted the competitive nature of the MCC Board’s review and the importance of Liberia’s first compact performance as a key factor in the reaffirmation.
“We are extremely proud of the success of the first compact and the deep U.S.–Liberia partnership. A major focus of our work this week will be stakeholder engagements and outlining the compact development process,” she said.
She explained that MCC compacts are based on rigorous data analysis and broad consultations with government, civil society, and the private sector to identify the root causes of growth constraints and design impactful solutions.
She said a central upcoming milestone will be a “root cause analysis” workshop in February, which will deepen consultations on key sectors where investments could have transformative impacts.
Also speaking, Joseph E. Zadrozny, Chargé d’Affaires of the U.S. Embassy in Monrovia, extended New Year greetings and underscored the importance of continuing the partnership.
The delegation’s visit, part of the initial phase of compact development, underscores the long-term commitment by both Liberia and the U.S. government to expand economic growth, create jobs, and strengthen governance through evidence-based investment.
