UP gov’t fulfills 3 out of 378 development projects in 2025, Naymote flags snail pace

Published: January 14, 2026

MONROVIA — Nearly three years into the Unity Party-led administration, a new independent assessment has found that the Liberian government has fully implemented just three interventions—about 0.8%—out of 378 commitments under the ARREST Agenda for Inclusive Development, raising fresh concerns about pace, coordination and transparency in delivering President Joseph Nyuma Boakai’s flagship development plan.

The findings are contained in Naymote Partners for Democratic Development’s first evidence-based review of the ARREST Agenda for Inclusive Development, covering the period from January to December 2025. The report was released Tuesday, Jan. 13, at a news conference in Paynesville.

Presenting the report, Naymote Executive Director Eddie D. Jarwolo said the assessment offers a sweeping snapshot of government performance across six strategic pillars and 52 core programs. “The report tracks 378 interventions across 52 core programs and six strategic pillars, offering a comprehensive snapshot of progress, gaps and systemic challenges in delivering Liberia’s national development blueprint launched by President Joseph Nyuma Boakai, Sr. on January 15, 2025,” Jarwolo said.

According to the report, 165 interventions, or 43.7%, show some level of progress, while 76 interventions, representing 20.1%, have not begun. Another 134 interventions, or 35.4%, could not be assessed due to insufficient publicly available data. Overall, Naymote concluded that 55.5% of the interventions are either inactive or lack adequate information for verification, a trend the organization says raises serious questions about implementation speed and institutional coordination.

Mixed Results Across Pillars

The assessment found relatively stronger performance in Governance and Anti-Corruption, Environmental Sustainability and Infrastructure Development, each recording activation rates above 55%. Naymote attributed these gains largely to digital governance reforms, donor-backed climate initiatives and visible infrastructure projects.

By contrast, Human Capital Development and Economic Transformation emerged as the weakest-performing pillars, with activation rates below 40%. Jarwolo said these sectors remain hampered by underfunding, weak inter-ministerial collaboration and limited public reporting.

Beyond national indicators, the report highlights persistent service delivery gaps at the local level. Evaluations of County Service Centers showed that more than 60% of core government services remain unavailable outside Monrovia, reinforcing long-standing concerns that decentralization continues to lag behind policy commitments.

Signs of Progress, But Time Running Short

Despite the sobering statistics, Naymote noted several areas of tangible progress, including the establishment of an office for the War and Economic Crimes Court, the rollout of biometric national ID registration reaching more than 710,000 citizens, pilot e-procurement initiatives, legislative reforms and targeted investments in agriculture, energy and tourism.

“These gains demonstrate that results are achievable when political will, resources and institutional capacity align,” the report stated.

Still, Jarwolo warned that the current pace falls far short of what is needed to meet the agenda’s 2029 targets. “At the present rate, completion would need to accelerate more than twenty-fold to stay on track,” he said.

He called for urgent corrective measures, including the creation of a dedicated ARREST Agenda coordination secretariat, mandatory quarterly public reporting by all implementing institutions, improved budget execution and deeper decentralization of authority and resources. Jarwolo also urged the establishment of a centralized tracking system to monitor ongoing, completed and stalled projects, along with the challenges affecting them.

The 2025 President Meter Report was produced under Naymote’s Democracy Advancement Program with support from the Embassy of Sweden and the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency. Jarwolo emphasized that the findings reflect Naymote’s independent analysis and do not necessarily represent the views of its partners.

As part of its accountability drive, Naymote announced it will continue quarterly monitoring of the ARREST Agenda through 2029, publishing its findings and engaging government officials, civil society, the media and citizens to push for results-driven governance.