The Minister of Finance and Development Planning, Augustine Kpehe Ngafuan, has disclosed that a team from the United States Government’s Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) will arrive in Liberia on September 22, 2025 for an official mission aimed at assessing Liberia’s readiness to benefit from its second MCC Compact.
This visit comes ahead of the next regular board meeting of the MCC in December 2025, where the country’s continued eligibility for a second Compact will be decided.
According to Minister Ngafuan, the visit also marks a critical step in possibly reviving Liberia’s path toward MCC Compact development following a temporary pause linked to the United States’ political transition and shifting priorities of the new US administration.
“Liberia was deemed eligible for the development of a second MCC Compact in December 2024, and we received a technical team in January 2025 to begin preparatory work, including the hiring of consultants to undertake the vital constraints analysis, which aims to identify the key constraints to growth and development in Liberia,” Minister Ngafuan told a media briefing recently. “However, due to the change in administration and shifts in the aid framework, that process was paused.”
The Minister emphasized that Liberia’s MCC eligibility remains under active consideration and recent engagements with U.S. stakeholders have re-awaken strong interest in the country’s development prospects.
“We recently held fruitful discussions in Washington, D.C. with the new MCC leadership and the U.S. State Department on the sidelines of the US-Africa Summit hosted by President Trump at the White House.
“We are also engaging the U.S. Embassy in Monrovia, which has been helping us to make a strong case for re-affirmation of Liberia’s eligibility for a second Compact. These engagements, coupled with the outcome of the visit of the MCC team to Liberia, will hopefully help to make a compelling case for Liberia’s continued eligibility,” he added.
According to information, the forthcoming MCC delegation—comprising economists and officials—will spend over a week in Liberia. During their mission, the team will consult widely with stakeholders across the government, the private sector, civil society, and the media. Their goal is to conduct a constraints analysis to identify key barriers to sustainable, inclusive economic growth, and determine which sectors are best suited for MCC support.
“The MCC is adopting a win-win development approach under the current U.S. administration,” said Minister Ngafuan. “They are looking to support sectors that not only boost Liberia’s growth but also open up avenues for U.S. investment.”
Minister Ngafuan noted that the recent interactions between President Boakai and his counterpart, President Donald Trump, at the US-Africa Summit drew positive attention to Liberia, which is being leveraged for the benefit of the Liberian people.
