-As U.S. MCC Delegation Arrives Today for Assessment
By Jerromie S. Walters
MONROVIA – A high-level delegation from the U.S. Government’s Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) is set to arrive in Liberia on today, Monday, September 22, on a critical mission that will significantly influence the country’s economic trajectory and its relationship with international partners. The team’s objective is to conduct a rigorous assessment of Liberia’s readiness for a potential second MCC Compact, a large-scale grant program pivotal for driving sustainable economic growth.
The delegation, led by Ms. Carrie Monahan, the Managing Director for Africa at MCC, comprises a roster of senior experts, signaling the technical depth of the evaluation. The team includes Deidre Fair, Director of Finance and Trade; economists Steve Anderson, Peter Glick, and Sophia Marcus; Finance and Trade Specialist Sheena Cooper; and Arif Mamun, Deputy Vice President for the Economic Analysis Division. Their collective expertise will be focused on diagnosing the core obstacles to Liberia’s development.
This visit is strategically timed ahead of the MCC’s next regular board meeting in December 2025, where Liberia’s continued eligibility for a second Compact will be formally reviewed. The outcome of this assessment will therefore serve as the foundational evidence for the board’s decision, placing immense importance on the government’s performance during the engagements.
During their stay, the MCC team is scheduled to engage with a comprehensive cross-section of Liberia’s economic governance infrastructure. Key institutions include the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning, the Central Bank of Liberia (CBL), the Liberia Revenue Authority (LRA), and the National Investment Commission. The delegation will also meet with data and sector-specific bodies like the Liberia Institute of Statistics and Geo-Information Services (LISGIS), the Ministry of Mines and Energy, and the Liberia Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (LEITI).
Further engagements with the Liberia Chamber of Commerce and private sector stakeholders will provide a crucial perspective on the business climate and investment challenges. These wide-ranging meetings are not merely ceremonial; they are designed to support MCC’s rigorous Constraints Analysis.
The Constraints Analysis is a diagnostic cornerstone of the MCC’s model. It is a data-driven process used to identify the most significant binding barriers to inclusive and sustainable economic growth in a partner country. The findings from this analysis will directly determine which sectors—be it energy, agriculture, infrastructure, or digital connectivity—are most aligned with MCC’s investment priorities for a potential Compact.
This mission marks a significant and hopeful step in reigniting Liberia’s pathway toward a second Compact, a process that had experienced a temporary pause. This hiatus was attributed to the recent U.S. political transition and the subsequent period required for the new U.S. administration to define its evolving policy direction towards international development partnerships.
The resumption of talks indicates a renewed mutual interest. Liberia’s Minister of Finance and Development Planning, Augustine Kpehe Ngafuan, provided insight into the shifting approach of the MCC under the current U.S. administration. “The MCC is embracing a win-win development model,” Minister Ngafuan stated. “They are seeking to support sectors that do not only drive Liberia’s economic progress but also create opportunities for U.S. investment.”
The Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) is an independent U.S. foreign assistance agency established by Congress in 2004. It is renowned for its competitive and merit-based selection process, awarding large-scale grants only to countries that demonstrate a strong commitment to ruling justly, investing in their people, and encouraging economic freedom.
For Liberia, the stakes of this visit could not be higher. Successfully securing a second Compact would inject hundreds of millions of dollars into targeted sectors, creating jobs, boosting GDP, and addressing critical infrastructural deficits. Failure to pass this stringent assessment, however, would represent a major setback, signaling a potential loss of confidence from a key international partner and underscoring deeper issues within Liberia’s governance and economic management. The coming week will thus serve as a profound test of the Boakai administration’s economic stewardship and Liberia’s broader commitment to the principles of good governance.
