Doha, Qatar -Foreign Minister, Ambassador Dee-Maxwell Saah Kemayah has highlighted that the Government of Liberia, under the leadership of President George M. Weah continued to make strides through its national development plan, the Pro-poor Agenda for Prosperity and Development (PAPD) geared towards growth and development and the attainment of the SDGs.
Representing the Liberian leader at the Summit of the Leaders of the Least Developed Countries convened on the margins of the Fifth (5th) United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries (LDC5) held on Saturday, March 4, 2023 in Doha, Qatar, Minister Kemayah stated that the PAPD represents the shared resolve to continue to sustain peace, stability and democracy, and achieve prosperity, as well as address the structural impediments to economic growth and national development.
Foreign Minister Kemayah said the PAPD, by extension, encapsulates the priority areas of the new Programme of Action (PoA) for LDCs during the next decade, noting that the government of Liberia is investing in people; especially the physically challenged, children, youth, women and the elderly; building capacities to leave no one behind.
He recounted that the Government of Liberia continues to commit resources in critical sectors such as health, education, agriculture, and infrastructure for more transformative results, stressing that the Government of Liberia, with support of partners, such as the World Bank and African Development Bank is continuing its road construction projects.
He recalled that when President Weah assumed the Presidency in 2018, the total paved roads in the national road network was 745 Kilometers throughout the entire country, representing less than Five (5) percent of the network which he said has been increased to 1,375 Kilometers, reflecting an additional 436 Kilometers paved in the primary road category alone under his government.
Foreign Minister Kemayah further disclosed that Liberian government will continue to invest in the energy infrastructure, which serves as major boost for economic growth and development of Liberia.
“We have restored our Mount Coffee Hydro-Electric Dam; and under the framework of South-South and triangular Cooperation, co-initiated the Côte d’Ivoire-Liberia-Sierra Leone-Guinea interconnection project, indicating that this project seeks to address electricity challenges by interconnecting the four post-conflict nations into the same regional electricity grid, thereby increasing electricity access from 22.9 percent in 2019 to about 30 percent in 2022”., the Minister added.
He told the summit that his Government has renewed its unwavering commitment to forging meaningful partnerships, in addressing the many challenges faced by LDCs in general, and Liberia, in particular, to ensure that no one is left behind.
He maintained that leaders of Least Developed Countries should be constantly reminded that a population of more than 1.1 billion of the Least Developed nations is dependent on their actions and decisions today.
According to him, leaders of the Least Developed Countries have the moral responsibility, and therefore, must set implementable goals in the respective national contexts adding, “the goals must remain responsive to the evolving realities of global development, and the changing needs in the implementation of Agenda 2030.
“We, as LDCs, have an opportunity to develop and strengthen cooperation frameworks, improve systems and tools; increase transparency; strengthen accountability; ensure increased level of good governance and promote democracy, prosperity and development”, he further intoned.
The Liberian Envoy at the Summit then narrated that the Government of Liberia under the astute Weah led-government remains unwavering in its practical commitment to provide opportunity that would cement the collective goal-seeking pathways to propel the LDCs to prosperity and development”.
