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Eropean Union has done well and continues to do much in Liberia’s recovery process. That is why we were not surprised when the European Union has reaffirmed its strategic and long-term commitment to Liberia’s energy development agenda, thereby pledging continuous support for policy reforms, rural electrification projects, institutional strengthening, and inclusive growth as Liberia and its partners reviewed the performance of EU-funded projects across the country.
The reaffirmation came recently during the EU–Liberia Portfolio Performance Review, a high-level engagement that brought together senior government officials, the European Union delegation, development partners, and project implementers to access progress, identify implementation challenges, and strengthen development impact in line with Liberia’s national priorities.
Like the ongoing construction work of rural electrification in places like Grand Kru, Sinoe, Maryland, Grand Gedeh. and RiverGee is a source of economic boost that could create self-employment opportunities.
Speaking at the opening of the review, H.E. Ambassador Nona Deprez, Ambassador and Head of the European Union Delegation to Liberia, has shown and demonstrated commitment due to the strong turnout reflected the depth of cooperation and trust between the European Union and the Government of Liberia.
"I’m particularly delighted to be here with you today, and I’m very happy to see you so numerous. The Ambassador had praised and reassured Liberians.
Ambassador Deprez said , "It is a testament to this very broad partnership between the European Union and Liberia." She concluded.
We are so delighted and sure that this effort is transformative and rewarding. We have no doubt when the envoy emphasized that the EU’s engagement in Liberia is rooted in confidence in the government’s reform agenda, particularly under the ARREST Agenda, which outlines Liberia’s development priorities.
When she stated that “It is also a testament to the trust that the European Union places in the Government of Liberia to achieve the policy reforms that the government has decided to undertake through the ARREST Agenda,” we knew that the EU family meant well for Liberia in her development and economy recovery effort.
It is important to note that the EU’s cooperation portfolio in Liberia is intentionally designed as a holistic framework to support sustainable development outcomes.
What EU had tried to do in her portfolio is to have a holistic portfolio that would help to achieve the objectives of the EU–Liberia partnership: the sustainable management of natural resources, jobs and growth, and governance, we knew that those remarks were well intentional.
This is why we appreciate EU when she did announce and explained that gender equality and engagement with civil society remain cross-cutting priorities across all EU-supported interventions.
The magnificent pronouncements that were made years back by Ambassador Deprez, when urged stakeholders to use the portfolio review as an opportunity for collaboration and learning, encouraging participants to understand each other’s projects and explore areas for productive input is great.
This is an opportunity for all of us to get to know the projects of the others and to reinforce the wakeup call of the EU Envoy.
We hope that each project can reinforce the other projects and that we can really work as a team together and work holistically toward these objectives.
The importance of transparency and honest dialogue, noting that meaningful reform requires openness about both successes and shortcomings.
Please just be very open and blunt with each other to say things that work well and things that don’t work because it will be very difficult to succeed in the absence of fareplay.
,” Ambassador Deprez said. “Because of course we are here to find solutions and to make sure that together we can be more transformative.”
The Government of Liberia, through the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning (MFDP), welcomed the European Union’s reaffirmed support and underscored the importance of portfolio performance to Liberia’s macroeconomic stability and development effectiveness.
Delivering remarks on behalf of Hon. Dehpue Y. Zuo, Deputy Minister for Economic Management, Sunday T. Heagbetus, Technical Focal Point to the Deputy Finance Minister for Economic Management, described the review as a moment of shared accountability between Liberia and its development partners.
“This engagement is not merely a reporting exercise; it is a moment of shared accountability—an opportunity to assess whether our collective investments are translating into tangible development outcomes for the Liberian people,” Heagbetus said.
He expressed appreciation to the European Union and the MFDP for convening the review and emphasized that the performance of development projects has direct implications for Liberia’s fiscal credibility.
