MONROVIA – Finance and Development Planning Minister Augustine Kpehe Ngafuan has announced that a high-level team from the United States Government’s Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) will arrive in Liberia on September 22, 2025, to begin an official mission aimed at assessing the country’s readiness for a second MCC Compact.
According to a Ministry of Finance press release issued on Sunday, August 31, 2025, Minister Ngafuan described the visit as a critical step in reviving Liberia’s Compact process, which had been temporarily halted due to political transitions in the United States and shifting aid priorities under the new administration. He disclosed that Liberia was declared eligible for the development of a second Compact in December 2024, and a technical team visited in January 2025 to begin preliminary work, including hiring consultants for the required Constraints Analysis. That process, however, stalled earlier this year.
“Liberia’s eligibility remains active, and our recent engagements with U.S. stakeholders have reawakened strong interest in Liberia’s development prospects,” Ngafuan said. “We had fruitful discussions in Washington with the new MCC leadership and the U.S. State Department on the sidelines of the U.S.-Africa Summit hosted by President Trump. We are also working closely with the U.S. Embassy in Monrovia to make a strong case for reaffirming Liberia’s eligibility.”
The MCC delegation, comprising economists and senior officials, will spend more than a week in Liberia consulting with stakeholders from government, civil society, the private sector, and the media. Their main task will be conducting a Constraints Analysis to identify barriers to inclusive economic growth and determine priority areas for MCC investment.
Ngafuan emphasized that the MCC is pursuing what he called a “win-win development approach” under the current U.S. administration, focusing on sectors that will accelerate Liberia’s growth while also attracting U.S. investment. He added that President Joseph Boakai’s recent interactions with President Trump have drawn positive attention to Liberia, which is being leveraged to benefit ordinary citizens.
In a related development, Gbarpolu County Senator Amara Konneh urged Liberians across political divides to support the second MCC Compact, stressing that the program is designed to help countries overcome the biggest obstacles to economic growth. He noted that Liberia barely passed the 2025 MCC scorecard, securing only 11 indicators compared to 14 in 2024, and passing just one in the “Investing in People” category.
“We must do better than 11,” Konneh said. “President Boakai should ensure that ministries affecting these indicators are empowered and held accountable for results. This is not about politics. Every well-meaning Liberian, whether from the Unity Party, CDC, or any other group, should support this process. If we fail, the failure affects us all.”
Liberia signed its first MCC Compact in 2015, valued at US$257 million, which focused largely on electricity and road infrastructure. The program, however, ended in 2021 without significant progress toward a second Compact, as governance challenges and persistent electricity shortages undermined its impact. Many Liberians felt the benefits were limited, though some improvements were made in power distribution and institutional capacity building.
The MCC Board is expected to decide on Liberia’s continued eligibility at its December 2025 meeting, making the September visit a decisive step in shaping the country’s development partnership with the United States.
