Published: September 26, 2025
MONROVIA — Liberia has launched a two-day national dialogue aimed at drawing private investment into its rice sector, confronting decades of dependence on imports of the country’s most politically sensitive staple food.
The forum, convened Thursday at the EJS Ministerial Complex, brings together the Ministry of Agriculture, Finance and Development Planning, Commerce and Industry, international partners and private actors under the theme “Building Trust and Establishing a Shared Vision for the Liberia Rice Value Chain.”
Deputy Agriculture Minister for Planning and Development David Akoi opened the talks by urging candor.
“We know there are challenges, but we also know there are opportunities,” Akoi said. “Be frank. Share with us what is working, what is not, and how we can move forward. We want your recommendations so we can put in place the right policies and actions to reduce our dependence on imported rice.”
Longstanding Bottlenecks
Rice, central to Liberia’s diet and politics, has long eluded self-sufficiency despite repeated government and donor efforts. Mohammed Kamara, president of the National Rice Federation, listed familiar obstacles: low yields, limited mechanization, weak extension services and poor market linkages.
“From past task force reports to donor-funded projects, these problems are not new,” Kamara said. “What has been missing is integration. Farmers may produce more, but without aggregation systems and processors with capital, the cycle breaks down.”
Shared Responsibility
UN Resident Coordinator Christine Umutoni described the event as the launch of a structured partnership between government, business and development partners.
“This is more than a meeting,” she said. “We must invest not only in infrastructure and irrigation but also in people, youth, women and cooperatives — to ensure growth is inclusive.”
Pascaline Barankeba, IFAD country representative and chair of the Agriculture Donor Partners Working Group, underscored rice’s singular importance.
“Rice is not just a crop; it is political, social and economic,” she said. “No government or development partner can deliver transformation alone. Private sector actors provide the capital, innovation and efficiency to scale production and reduce costs.”
Financing and Policy Reform
Morris Togba, senior economist at the Ministry of Finance, tied the forum to fiscal policy, noting it is a prerequisite for Liberia to qualify for €21 million in EU budget support next year.
“We are one government,” Togba said. “Supporting the Ministry of Agriculture’s efforts to achieve rice self-sufficiency is supporting the Liberian people.”
Saint Jerome Larbalee of the Ministry of State called for policies to compel rice importers to reinvest profits into local production.
“For many years, rice importers have made significant profits,” he said. “It is time to ensure some of those profits are reinvested to build capacity for local farmers.”
Building Systems, Not Silos
Day one ended with consensus that Liberia’s problem is less a lack of ideas than a failure of execution. Participants pressed for integrated approaches linking production, processing and markets. Breakout sessions Friday are expected to produce recommendations on financing, infrastructure, mechanization and policy reforms.
With rice so deeply woven into Liberia’s economy, culture and politics, officials said the dialogue must move beyond rhetoric. The aim: tangible commitments to shape the nation’s food security and restore confidence in its ability to feed itself.
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