CBL to Convene National Conference on Non-Performing Loans

Published: September 8, 2026

MONROVIA — Unpaid loans are tying up money that Liberian banks would otherwise lend out, and the government will spend three days beginning Wednesday trying to agree on a national plan to recover it.

By Gibson Gee

The National Non-Performing Loan Resolution Conference runs Sept. 9 to Sept. 11 at the Ellen Johnson Sirleaf Ministerial Complex in Congo Town, bringing together government officials, banking executives, legal and judicial experts, private-sector representatives and international specialists.

The Central Bank of Liberia is organizing the conference on behalf of the government in partnership with the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning, the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, the Liberia Bankers Association and the World Bank.

The intended outcome is a National NPL Resolution Policy Roadmap, supported by a conference communiqué and an implementation framework. The roadmap is expected to identify the legal, judicial, regulatory and institutional changes needed to improve loan recovery and strengthen the credit system behind it.

Non-performing loans are loans borrowers have failed to repay on the agreed schedule. The central bank said the unpaid balances reduce the liquidity available for productive lending and make banks more cautious about extending credit to businesses and individuals, which it said could constrain private-sector investment, entrepreneurship, job creation and economic growth.

CBL Executive Governor Henry F. Saamoi has said the problem is a national development concern rather than a matter for commercial banks alone.

The agenda covers credit underwriting and governance, banking supervision, debt recovery, legal and insolvency frameworks, borrower-lender relationships, credit infrastructure, digital finance and financial inclusion, along with the causes and consequences of non-performing loans and the approaches other African markets have used to resolve them.

Participants will include local banking and financial-sector professionals, entrepreneurs, legal practitioners and policymakers, alongside regional and international experts in loan remediation, credit and risk management, trade finance, investment banking, business development and financial-sector operations.

The conference will also examine opportunities for technical assistance and continued work with development partners, including the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, the African Development Bank and the International Finance Corporation.

The central bank said the broader aim is to build national consensus around reforms that improve access to credit, strengthen financial stability and support private-sector growth and job creation.