Published: February 6, 2026
MONROVIA — The National Food Assistance Agency (NFAA) says it has expanded emergency food support to vulnerable communities while strengthening its institutional mandate following its recent enactment into law as an autonomous agency.
Speaking at the NFAA headquarters in Fiama, Sinkor, Director General Boakai A. M. Sirleaf outlined recent program delivery, legal reforms and new partnerships aimed at improving coordination and accountability in food assistance nationwide.
Sirleaf said the NFAA reached a key institutional milestone on June 17, 2025, when it was formally enacted into law, ending decades of operation under executive orders.
He said the new legal status gives the agency clear authority to coordinate and regulate food assistance programs across Liberia.
“This enactment provides the NFAA with legal clarity and national responsibility to ensure food assistance is coordinated, transparent and effective,” Sirleaf said.
According to Sirleaf, the agency recently implemented an emergency feeding intervention funded by a US$50,000 grant from the African Union, channeled through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The program covered eight counties and supported 38 institutions, including orphanages, prisons, hospitals, disability centers, safe homes and elderly care facilities.
In total, 4,440 people benefited from the intervention, including 2,824 males and 1,616 females, the agency said.
Sirleaf said the intervention prioritized locally produced food commodities in line with government efforts to support domestic agriculture.
Distributed items included more than 1,200 bags of 25-kilogram rice, vegetable oil and palm oil. Additional locally produced rice supplied by the Ministry of Agriculture was also distributed to vulnerable groups in Monrovia and surrounding communities.
He said the approach is intended to support Liberian farmers while meeting humanitarian needs.
The NFAA has also signed a Letter of Agreement with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations to support the development of a five-year strategic plan.
Sirleaf said the plan will focus on reducing food insecurity, improving access to nutritious food and strengthening institutional capacity, following months of consultations with FAO.
Addressing questions about funding for school feeding programs, Sirleaf said US$950,000 appropriated by the Legislature was placed under the Ministry of Agriculture rather than the NFAA.
He said discussions are ongoing with the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning to align the allocation with provisions of the NFAA Act, which assigns coordination of food assistance programs to the agency.
Sirleaf thanked President Joseph Nyuma Boakai, the National Legislature, development partners and private contributors for their support, while urging institutions involved in food assistance to work through the NFAA to improve coordination and oversight.
He said effective collaboration is critical to ensuring that food support reaches Liberia’s most vulnerable populations.
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