Electricity Must Top Liberia’s Next MCC Compact, Ambassador Conteh Tells Delegation in Washington

Published: November 12, 2026

WASHINGTON – Reliable, affordable electricity should be at the center of Liberia’s proposed new Millennium Challenge Corporation compact, Liberia’s ambassador to the United States, Al-Hassan Conteh, told a Liberian technical delegation in Washington this week.

Conteh spoke Tuesday, Nov. 10, 2026, at a reception hosted by the MCC for the delegation. The delegation is in Washington for consultations to build the analytical and strategic framework for the compact. Senior MCC officials, private-sector leaders, embassy staff, and members of the Liberian diaspora attended.

Conteh called reliable, affordable, and accessible electricity a fundamental binding constraint on Liberia’s economic growth. He said high power costs, inadequate generation, and limited access continue to undermine business competitiveness, discourage investment, and raise the cost of economic activity. He urged the technical teams to give particular attention to investments in generation, transmission, and distribution, as well as to the energy sector’s financial and operational sustainability. He said private-sector participation, renewable energy, and wider access for businesses and underserved communities should be part of that work.

The delegation is led by Alieu Fuad Nyei, national coordinator of Liberia’s Compact Development Team. It includes senior economist Thomas B. Kanneh and Molley O. Kiazolu, director of finance, investment and trade. Kemoh Lumei, the director of energy, is also on the team. So are three specialists: B. Garmondyu Zogar for environmental and social performance, Tennen B.D. Tehoungue for social analysis, and Antoinette Y. Sendolo for stakeholder engagement and communication. Dele I. Shobayo, a senior director at the Liberia Electricity Corporation, is providing technical support on the energy project. Samuel Summerville, an assistant minister at the Ministry of Mines and Energy, is supporting the mining project.

Beyond electricity, Conteh urged the teams to weigh five other areas. He called for better roads and trade corridors to reduce costs and connect farmers to markets, and for governance and regulatory reforms to build investor confidence. He said public investment should unlock private capital and create jobs, especially through small and medium-sized businesses. He called for technical and vocational training, with particular attention to women and young people, and for climate resilience and community participation to be built into every project. He said each priority should be rigorously tested through economic analysis for its feasibility and its contribution to growth and poverty reduction.

Conteh said the compact process should be more than an exercise in preparing documents. He said it should become a strategic instrument for Liberia’s long-term economic transformation. He praised the collaborative approach of the MCC and the Compact Development Team, and said success will depend on sound analysis, careful choice of priorities, effective coordination between institutions and benefits Liberians can measure.

Jason Small, the MCC’s vice president for compact development, said the corporation is committed to a rigorous, collaborative, and country-led approach. Sebastian Teclar, president of the Liberian Community Association of the DMV, said the diaspora seeks investments that expand opportunity and improve infrastructure for Liberians at home and abroad.

Conteh said the embassy has steadily pushed for closer ties with American institutions and businesses, citing the Invest in Liberia Roadshow in Washington on Oct. 5, 2026. Foreign Minister Sara Beysolow Nyanti attended the event, organized by the office of the Foreign Ministry’s special envoy, Isaac Taggart.

Conteh thanked Carrie Monahan, the MCC’s country director for Liberia, for her continued engagement with the embassy. He also thanked Minister Counselor Yaba Thompson of the Liberian Embassy and Molly Johnson, an MCC senior program officer, for organizing the reception. He said the embassy will support the delegation throughout its consultations.