-To Advance Gender Equality
By Jerromie S. Walters
Monrovia, Liberia – Dr. Maxime Houinato, UN Women’s Regional Director for West and Central Africa, has urged the Liberian government to prioritize women’s economic empowerment as a key strategy to reduce gender-based violence, boost political participation, and ensure equitable national development. Dr. Houinato spoke at a press conference in Monrovia on Tuesday, July 22, 2025.
According to the Liberia Institute for Statistics and Geo-information Service (LISGIS) 2022 census, women constitute about 50.1% of Liberia’s total population. More recent data from the World Bank indicates that the female population in Liberia was reported at 2,810,925 persons in 2024. However, challenges like limited access to resources and entrenched gender inequality persist.
According to the UN Women’s Regional Director for West and Central Africa, financial independence strengthens women’s voices in households, politics, and society. “The second area that is very important is economic empowerment. We know that a lot of women have domestic violence issues because they don’t have any alternative. A lot of women are not respected by their husbands sometimes because they don’t contribute anything to the house. So we have seen that economic empowerment has reduced violence against women,” Dr. Houinato stated. According to the World Bank, in Liberia, the share of women who have experienced intimate partner violence is greater than the world average, 27%
With this, Dr. Maxime Houinato highlighted the critical link between economic strength and political participation, noting that Liberian women face financial barriers in elections. “Men are doing politics in this country, using money. Where do you expect women to do politics without money? So women also need to generate income so that when men are campaigning, they also will be able to campaign in order to get elected. That’s why I feel that economic empowerment is something that is very important” he said.
Only 11% of seats in the national legislature are held by women in Liberia. There are just 11 out of the 103 members of the Liberian legislature. This proportion of seats held by women in Liberia has remained roughly the same since 2010. According to the World Bank, the current rate is lower than the average rate in low-income economies.
In the opinion of Dr. Houinato, women’s financial contributions are vital for national growth. “Women can contribute to wealth in this country so that the taxes are not just paid by men alone. Women can also pay taxes. Again, if you pay tax you can talk because if you put money on the table, you have more voice. Those are some of the areas that we felt would be critical to complement what the government is doing” he asserted.
The UN Women official commended Liberia’s efforts in gender equality but called for intensified measures to support women entrepreneurs, improve access to capital, and create fair economic opportunities.
The Liberian government has been urged to integrate these strategies into its national development agenda to ensure sustainable progress.
Liberia is working to strengthen women’s economic empowerment through several key programs, though significant challenges remain. Various initiatives are helping Liberian women gain better access to markets, financial services, and opportunities for economic independence. However, obstacles like limited resources and deep-rooted gender inequality continue to hinder progress.
Two major programs are among these efforts: The Digital Inclusion for Women’s Economic Empowerment (D4WEE) project, run by UN Women with support from Orange Liberia, connects rural women to markets through digital platforms like Buy from Women. This initiative also provides training in financial literacy, mobile money usage, and green energy solutions.
Another important program, the Liberia Women’s Empowerment Project (LWEP), funded by the World Bank, focuses on improving social and livelihood services for women and girls. It works to change harmful social norms, strengthen government capacity, and reduce gender-based violence using the SASA! Approach. The project also offers livelihood grants to help women build sustainable incomes.
Despite these efforts, most Liberian women still face economic hurdles. 74% of female workers are employed in the informal sector, and even 41% of university-educated women work informally. Business ownership also shows a gender gap—data from the World Bank (2022) reveals that more men than women own businesses in Liberia. The country falls in the third quintile globally for female business ownership, based on newly registered limited liability companies between 2016 and 2024.
Also at Tuesday’s news conference, UN Women’s Regional Director for West and Central Africa emphasized the critical need to transform societal norms. Dr. Houinato revealed that normative progress forms a cornerstone of the organization’s strategy in Liberia. He challenged traditional gender roles that limit women’s participation in public life, drawing a direct connection between inclusive thinking and national competitiveness.
Dr. Houinato, “The first one is making norms progress. The way you think is the way you live. If you think that half of your population should stay in the house, and only half of the population will develop the country, you will be less than others. Normative progress is something that we are investing in. I’m glad that we have a lot of partners in the country, that have understood that for this country to emerge, it has to integrate the contribution of women.”
Moreover, he says there are still some challenges in terms of women’s access to certain opportunities they should enjoy. “We have also seen some difficulties in terms of opportunities that women and girls should have that are not yet at he level of their ambition,” he added. Howbeit, the UN Women official revealed productive discussions with Liberia’s leadership, stating: “I met with the president and His Excellency has shown a great vision in terms of the direction that he would like this country to take and that direction aligns very much with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), with the position of Liberia in the international community.”
Despite ongoing challenges, Dr. Maxime Houinato acknowledged Liberia’s gender equality achievements. The UN Women Regional Director recognized significant advancements made over recent years.
He specifically commended Liberia’s ARREST Agenda for Inclusive Development (AAID). This national development plan closely aligns with Sustainable Development Goal 5 on gender equality.
“I have seen a growing sense of hope among the people, especially women and youth. Liberia is positioning itself as a country of opportunities—domestically, regionally, and globally,” Dr. Houinato said. The official highlighted Liberia’s recent election to a UN Security Council seat. “This level of international recognition does not happen by accident,” Dr. Houinato observed.
From her end, Liberia’s Minister of Gender, Children and Social Protection Gbeme Horace-Kollie praised UN Women’s consistent support for Liberia’s gender equality efforts. “UN Women has stood by us, especially as we fulfill our commitment to serve as a triple asset country under the Beijing+30 initiative—focused on ending violence against women and investing in adolescent girls,” Minister Kollie stated.
The minister detailed UN Women’s multifaceted assistance. This includes strategic guidance, technical expertise, and financial resources for gender programs. “That visit made a strong impression,” Minister Kollie noted. “It underscored the potential of local-level interventions to transform lives and preserve culture while ending harmful practices.”
Tuesday’s press conference concluded Dr. Houinato’s visit to Liberia. During his stay, he held discussions with President Joseph Boakai and key cabinet members. The Regional Director engaged with multiple government sectors. These included Finance, Foreign Affairs, Internal Affairs, and Defense ministries. His visit also featured field observations beyond Monrovia. Dr. Houinato toured a the traditional women’s Alternative Livelihood Center supporting women transitioning from harmful practices.
The United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women) was officially established on 2nd July 2010 as a critical new UN agency dedicated to advancing gender equality worldwide. In Liberia, UN Women has developed a strong partnership with the national government that has achieved measurable progress in two key areas: increasing women’s political leadership and enhancing their participation in security decision-making processes.
These collaborative efforts directly contribute to the realization of Sustainable Development Goal 5, which focuses on achieving gender equality and empowering all women and girls, as well as SDG 16 which promotes peaceful, just and inclusive societies. Furthermore, the partnership supports Outcomes 3 and 4 of the United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework, specifically targeting the Sustaining Peace and Security agenda and improving Governance and Transparency systems in Liberia.
