Finance and Development Planning Minister, Augustine K. Ngafuan, has said that a team from the United States government’s Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC), will arrive in the country on Monday, September 22, 2025.
The team is to assess country’s readiness to benefit from its second MCC Compact.
The visit of the US delegation comes ahead of the next board meeting of the MCC in December this year, where the country continued eligibility for a second Compact will be decided.
Accordingly, the visit also marks 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. The work includes the hiring of consultants to undertake the vital constraints analysis, which aims to identify the key ones to growth and development,” Ngafuan said.
He added: “However, due to the change in administration, and shifts in the aid framework, that process was paused. MCC eligibility remains under active consideration, and recent engagement with U.S. stakeholders have re-awaken strong interest in the country’s development prospects.
“We recently held fruitful discussions in Washington DC with the new MCC leadership and the US States Department on the sidelines of the US-Africa Summit hosted by President Trump at the White House.
We are also engaging the US Embassy in Monrovia who have 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.
The forthcoming MCC delegation comprising economists and officials, will spend over a week in the country.
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 grow and determine which sectors are best suited for MCC support.
“The MCC is adopting a win-win development approach under their current US administration,” he said. “They are looking to support sectors that not only boost Liberia’s growth, but also open up avenues for US investment.
Minister Ngafuan noted that the recent interactions between President Boakai and his counterpart, President Trump at the US-Africa Summit drew positive attention to Liberia, which is being leveraged for the benefit of the Liberian people.