Minister Konneh Leads High Power Government Delegation to Lima - Peru

The Minister of Finance and Development Planning, Hon. Amara M. Konneh, at the head of a high-powered Liberian Government delegation, is in Lima, Peru to attend the 2015 Annual Meetings of the World Bank (WB) and International Monetary Fund (IMF).

While in Peru, the delegation is expected to hold bilateral and multilateral discussions on Liberia’s development agenda and conclude on commitments made by development partners within the framework of the Agenda for Transformation and the post-Ebola Economic Stabilization and Recovery Plan (ESRP).

Ahead of the summit, Minister Konneh and team held discussions with the World Bank Vice President for Africa, Makhtar Diop, on the current state of the Liberian economy as well as the Bank’s support to Liberia’s development strategy.

Konneh thanked Diop for the continued support from the Bank and briefed him on Liberia’s progress in the implementation of the 5-year medium-term development strategy.

Stressing the need for an acceleration of the Bank’s support through timely disbursement of funds against outstanding commitments, he said this was necessary to enhance economic recovery, sustainable growth and development.

“In our quest to diversify our economic base, we are aggressively targeting agriculture as a sector of emphasis, given the huge employment potential and implication for real GDP growth and would appreciate some support in this direction”, Konneh said.

He said other areas of development including energy, roads, health, and education were making progress in the aftermath of the Ebola crisis, but more and timely assistance was needed to consolidate the gains already made, including possible additional financing through the International Development Association (IDA).

In response, the Bank’s Vice President, Makhtar Diop, assured Liberia, through Minister Konneh, of its continuous support to the Agenda for Transformation (AfT), as well as the Economic Stabilization and Recovery Plan (ESRP), with special emphasis on the Agriculture Sector.

He acknowledged the leadership demonstrated by Her Excellency Madam Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, at the national and regional levels, during the Ebola Crisis and extolled the Liberian leader for her manifold contribution towards the new global agenda – the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Officials traveling with Minister Konneh include Deputy Governor Boima S. Kamara, Central Bank of Liberia (CBL), Dr. Mounir Siaplay, Deputy Minister for Economic Management, Ministry of Finance and Development Planning (MFDP), Mr. John B. S Davies III, President and CEO, Liberia Bank for Development and Investment (LBDI), and Mr. Bernard Jappah, Public Financial Management Reforms Coordinator at MFDP.