With poverty assessment being one of its core diagnostics, the World Bank Group on Monday, March 18, 2024 launched Liberia’s Poverty Assessment Report in order to help inform and shape the country’s partnership framework (CPF); Cynthia Quinisier reports.
Officially launching the report, the World Bank Poverty Practice Manager, Johan Mistiaen, said poverty remains a formidable challenge, with over half of the population still living below the poverty line. Mistiaen underscored that understanding the underlying causes and potential pathways out of poverty are essential for making meaningful progress to improve living standards and livelihood.
According to Mistiaen, “The lack of recently collected household living standards survey data presents a major obstacle to monitor poverty incidence and informedpolicy. Liberia successfully implemented a new population census last year—this is a great achievement—but the most recent survey available to estimate monetary poverty was collected in 2016, almost 10 years ago.
“Therefore, currently poverty estimates are being forecasted based on macro-economic information, models, and assumptions. The lack of regularly collected survey data likewise makes it hard to understand which poverty reduction policies are working and which policies need to be reconsidered. We are flying blind.”
He said one key recommendation is that a new benchmark household living standard survey be collected the soonest. “The World Bank recommends implementing an integrated household income and expenditure survey, the kind of survey needed to estimate monetary poverty, ideally at least every three years and not less than every five years. With a new survey under preparation by LISGIS, the Liberia Poverty Assessment should be updated as soon as the data become available,” he noted.
Also making remarks, the World Bank Country Manager, Georgia Wallen, said, “The 2020 Liberia Poverty Assessment comes at an important time for Liberia. This is a moment of transition, in the very early days of the new administration with six years left for delivering on Liberia’s Vision 2030 and the target date for the Sustainable Development Goals. As we look to crucial years ahead, the Poverty Assessment can be valuable input for the new National Development Strategy and the Bank’s new Country Partnership Framework.
Wallen said, “While the findings of the Poverty Assessment are stark and sobering, we hope they will useful for driving intensified action to address the worsening situation of poverty facing millions of Liberians—particularly the most vulnerable. The World Bank and the Government of Liberia (GOL) share a common ambition, rooted in the Bank’s mission to end extreme poverty and promote shared prosperity on a livable planet.
“As a backdrop to today’s discussion, I want to step back and add perspective. I’d like to propose three reminders for your reflection: (i) first, remember Liberia’s strengths; (ii) second, remember that beyond the facts, figures and statistics, there is a human face; third, (iii) remember that our ultimate purpose of knowledge for action.”
The World Bank Country Manager added, “For starters, as we consider the intense and urgent challenges of poverty in Liberia, let us remember Liberia’s strength and the richness of its heritage. I want to remind us that Liberia is resource rich, with regionally and globally significant natural endowments. I want to remind us of Liberia’s proud heritage as Africa’s first Republic. Looking at history, Liberian women and men have distinguished themselves at the global level, with world-class achievements in spheres as diverse as international affairs, business, sports, and among many others. Most recently, this country has provided an example and a beacon of hope for cherishing peace and democratic values, commanding the attention of the world. Despite many challenges—whether longstanding impacts of civil conflict; cascading impacts of multiple recent crises; and emerging risks, such as climate change—Liberia shows potential to beat the odds. Where will the capacity to tackle and overcome the complex development challenges discussed in the Poverty Assessment come from? It will come from harnessing and leveraging Liberia’s strengths. This will demand managing Liberia resources well—including agriculture, and enhanced land administration–and investing in people, which is fundamental for Liberian now and in the future. It also means leveraging data and knowledge, including this report to guide well informed policy action.
“Second, remember the human face. The report finds that nearly 6 out of every 10 Liberians live in poverty based on the national poverty line. And in the context of multiple crisis, the plight of the poor has worsened, and the number of people in poverty have increased. Roughly 1,000,000 Liberian’s live in extreme poverty and 2.5 million in absolute poverty. The large numbers can sometimes be hard to grasp. But behind the numbers are individuals. The Poverty Assessment shows that face of poverty in Liberia is a young face. It is more likely to be female. And it is much more likely to come from a rural area. It is the face of someone who has had little or no access to education, healthcare, and basic services like water and sanitation.
“Third, the Poverty Assessment is about translating knowledge into action. Working towards a more resilient and inclusive recovery from the multiple shocks over the past decade will require addressing the many structural challenges facing Liberia. Increased access to quality education is essential to reversing poverty and boosting income earning potential. Efforts are also needed on the demand side to increase demand for skills labor, and Liberians wage labor market. Building resilience to shocks, including climate related shocks is also critical. Most households lack coping mechanisms to medicate the impacts of shocks, reflecting, deep vulnerability.”
Towards achieving the mission to end extreme poverty and promote shared prosperity on a livable planet, she said the World Bank is working with the Government of Liberia (GOL) and all development partners to implement policies and projects for an inclusive and resilient recovery.
