"In the past, we used to keep our money in metal boxes. Now, with support from the UN Women, Central Bank of Liberia, Orange Foundation, we manage our money through Orange Money. This has made it easier for us to save, credit, and grow our businesses," shares Musu Nana, a Buy from Women Champion from Gbartala, Bong County. In 2022, UN Women Liberia in partnership with the Orange Foundation launched the ‘Digital Inclusion for Women's Economic Empowerment (D4WEE)’ project. The team partnered with Central Bank of Liberia (CBL) and the National Disaster Management Agency (NDMA) with the aim of empowering rural women farmers in Bong and Nimba Counties by linking them to the formal financial system and improve access to disaster risk reduction. Significant strides have been made since the project's inception. Through collaboration with CBL, 15 women-led Village Savings and Loan Associations (VSLAs) were integrated into the formal financial system, benefitting 400 rural women farmers who now have mobile phones and formal bank accounts at the Liberian Bank for Development and Investment (LBDI). Plans are underway to connect these accounts to their Orange Money mobile wallets, providing the women with the financial services needed to grow their businesses and improve their livelihood. The project also introduced a social protection scheme, enabling VSLA members to save, borrow, and invest through digital platforms, promoting financial security among rural women. By leveraging these tools, women now have greater control over their finances and can make informed decisions for their economic well-being. "We are pleased with this new way of handling our Village Savings and Loan Association group. Going digital with our savings and loans has made things simpler and safer for us. Now, we can keep an eye on our money and loans using our phones. It's made everything clearer and smoother for us," says Diana Davis, Community-based Facilitator, Liberia Rural Women Network Empowerment Incorporated. In early August 2024, UN Women Liberia, in partnership with CBL and Orange Foundation Liberia, conducted a four-day Training of Trainers (TOT) workshop in Monrovia for 22 women-led farming cooperatives and agribusiness owners from Bong, Nimba, and Lofa Counties. The training aimed to strengthen women's capacities by providing digital literacy skills and access to employment opportunities. Participants were introduced to the Buy from Women platform and Orange Money services, helping them connect with broader markets and access financial resources. "By enabling these women to become community-based facilitators, we're enhancing their income-generating activities through both traditional and digital innovations," explained Ms. Aisha Kolubah, National Program Officer for Women Economic Empowerment at UN Women Liberia.  The workshop covered digital marketing strategies, effective use of social media, and financial management using digital tools. Participants learned how to create engaging content, leverage platforms like Facebook and WhatsApp for business promotion, and streamline financial transactions through mobile banking. UN Women Liberia’s Knowledge Management Specialist, Ms. Alana Pradhan, served as a facilitator, providing insights on leveraging social media for business growth. "Regular and strategic use of social media not only allows you to engage with a broader audience but also empowers you to position your products and services competitively in the market," Ms. Pradhan emphasized. The participants responded enthusiastically to the training, recognizing the potential for expanding their businesses and improving their livelihoods. The Liberia Rural Women Network for Employment expressed their excitement on social media: "We are excited to learn how digital marketing can transform our businesses. This training has opened new avenues for growth and development. We now see the potential to reach larger markets and strengthen our financial independence through digital tools." The success of the TOT workshop and the broader initiative underscores the importance of digital and financial literacy in empowering rural women and fostering economic development. By equipping women with the necessary skills and tools, UN Women Liberia, alongside its partners, is paving the way for sustainable growth and gender equality in the agricultural sector.  "This training has not only taught us how to use digital tools but has also connected us to bigger markets and financial services we never had access to before," reflects Musu Nana. "We are now more confident and equipped to grow our businesses and support our families." As these empowered women return to their communities, they carry with them the knowledge and skills to train others, creating a ripple effect of empowerment and economic advancement across Liberia's rural regions. The continued collaboration between UN Women, CBL, and Orange Foundation hopes to further expand these opportunities, ensuring that more women can harness the power of digital technology to transform their lives and communities.

“We don’t have control over pricing our goods, so we often lose,” said John Fahn, the Kpatolee Agriculture Development Cooperative chairperson. This cooperative of 68 members – 53 women and 15 men is engaged in low-land rice, cassava, and vegetable farming.Desperately in need of a warehouse to store their produce after harvesting, Fahn said they must rely on businessmen who have warehouses to buy their goods immediately after harvesting otherwise they lose. He said in many cases buyers negotiate prices far lower than what the products are worth, and farmers are left with no choice but to sell to them.Fahn added that taking the goods to Monrovia from Bong is equally expensive because there is no guarantee that they will be bought on time before they lose value or that they will reach Monrovia in good condition enough to beat the market price value.During a recent interaction with a team from UNDP led by the Resident Representative a.i. Anthony Ohemeng-Boahmah, Fahn explained that the Kpatolee Agriculture Development Cooperative, established in 2018 as a Farmer-Based Organization (FBO), was upgraded to the status of a cooperative in 2023 when receiving support from the Accelerated Community Development Programme (ACDP) managed by UNDP.The ACDP is a flagship initiative of the Government of Liberia aimed at reducing poverty and inequality between urban and rural communities in the most vulnerable and hard-to-reach areas.The team visited two cooperatives supported by the programme – Kpatolee Agriculture Development Cooperative in Flehla and Bong Kuka’tonon Cooperative in Donfah Bong County, a central region of Liberia.“We were disorganized or disarranged with nothing like unity among us…we had no specific place to be found and lacked sufficient education to operate as a business to reduce poverty,” said Fanh.To reduce food insecurity, Fahn said the cooperative aims to upgrade from subsistence farming to mechanized farming. He mentioned that the support of the ACDP has added value to their cooperative as they are now recognized.Reiterating Fanh’s comments, the Chairperson of the Bong Kuka'tonon Cooperative, Esther Giddings noted that with support provided under the ACDP, both cooperatives have transformed into legal entities trusted by members to do business with.Giddings said Kuka’tonon Cooperative with 76 members, 40 of whom are women, now has a fully functional bank account.“Although the cooperative has no members with disabilities, we welcome anyone interested in joining us,” she noted.Showcasing their produce, excited members spoke about the achievements of the cooperative since they received farming equipment such as a tractor and trailer, rice milling machine, rice trasher, cassava milling machine and in addition solar power boreholes and water kiosks.With all this equipment, the members say farming has become easier and more enjoyable as the post-harvest process is no longer stressful.“Our women no longer walk long distances to get water in the community because now through the ACDP, the government of Liberia is erecting solar power boreholes,” explained Alaska B. Williams, a member of the cooperative.The cooperatives are currently building offices which include a storeroom for their produce, a conference hall for meetings and an office.“UNDP trusted us, and we are grateful because this is a lifetime investment even for our children,” said ecstatic Giddings.The UNDP Resident Representative a. i. Anthony Ohemeng-Boamah and his team were heartily welcomed with chants of joy while addressing both communities. Ohemeng-Boamah stressed that there was no reason for Liberia to be in poverty because it has the resources needed to improve the livelihood of the people.He encouraged the cooperatives to make positive use of the support they receive to be able to continue working on their farms beyond the project cycle.Both cooperatives are contributing towards the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 1 and 2 which are No Poverty and Zero Hunger respectively.Overall, the cooperatives contribute towards the achievement of SDGs 5 – Gender Equality, 10 – Reduced Inequalities, and 12 – Responsible Consumption Production.The ACDP was launched in 2022 by the Government of Liberia with an initial USD 3 million funding out of USD 100 million that was committed for the first three years. UNDP serves as the implementing partner to this programme and has supported the distribution of machinery, equipment, farming tools, seedlings and other supplies and accessories to 14 farmer cooperatives in six counties across Liberia including Bomi, Bong, Gbarpolu, Lofa, Nimba and Rivercess.Over One hundred and Forty thousand United States dollars (20,000 USD to each cooperative) has also been disbursed to selected farmer cooperatives as operational expenses. 

The Government of Liberia and its Development Partners have concluded the National Coordination Committee meeting on the draft ARREST Agenda for Inclusive Growth and Development.The meeting was held at the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning, on November 28, 2024.It was meant to gather inputs and review passed resolutions from various dialogues, comments, recommendations, and outcomes from development partners, stakeholders, civil society organizations, persons with disability, and officials from Ministries and Agencies across government. Making remarks at the opening, Liberia’s Finance and Development Planning Minister, Hon. Augustine K. Ngafuan praised development partners across various sectors of the economy for their commitment, support, and coordination throughout the AAID and CDA planning processes.He also thanked other government officials, deputies, the Assistant Minister, technicians from the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning, other line ministries, and agencies for the level of commitment and efforts shown.According to him, in early September, the National and Sub-national consultations were held with relevant stakeholders across the fifteen counties to solicit views and inputs regarding drafting the ARREST agenda and the County Development Agenda.“Today we appreciate your efforts, inputs and it has been incorporated into the draft document for review’’ Minister Ngafuan explained.” He noted that the ARREST and County Development Agenda would be delivered to the National Steering Committee, and the President of Liberia will chair the meeting, which is slated for next week of December 2024. However, the sectorial goals of the ARREST Agenda for Inclusive Growth and the priorities of the County Development Agenda have been largely informed by the outcome of the national and sub national levels.The Liberian finance minister disclosed that the ARREST Agenda and the County Development Agenda have drawn lessons and built on the achievements from previous medium-term development plan-poverty reduction strategies, the Agenda for Transformation, and the Pro-Poor Agenda for Prosperity and Development.“All of the past plans are aligned with Liberia's vision 2030 as well as continental and global development frameworks such as the Sustainable Development Goals and Africa’s Agenda 2063, the Africa’s we want’’ Minister Ngafuan asserted. The country’s chief financial expert revealed that the County Development Agenda (CDA) seeks to prepare Liberia from a low-income to an inclusive middle-income country. The projections indicate the country's current GDP per capita of US 849 Dollars will grow to US 1050 US up to 2029 of which 25 percent is slated to come from Official Development Assistance (ODA) . Minister Ngafuan added that the ARREST Agenda for Inclusive Growth and Development proposes domestic resource mobilization will be measured by strengthening strong tax policy measures including rolling out value-added tax and exploring innovation financing measures. UNDP Deputy Resident Representative, Mr. Louis Kuukpen speaking on behalf of the co-chair of the National Coordination Committee commended the government of Liberia through the Ministry of Finance and stakeholders for producing the draft National Development Plan 2025-2029 and the 15th County Development Agenda (CDA).He thanked the Embassy of Sweden and the UN Joint SDG Fund through the UNRCO, UNFPA, UN Women, and UNICEF for funding the technical assistance.’’ We applaud the Government for holding extensive consultation with the masses and key informants’’ he explains.According to him, the participation of various stakeholders is fundamental in enhancing inclusivity and setting appropriate interventions for development. As we move towards the conclusion of the actual planning process.“There are enormous implementation and execution issues that we need to pay serious attention to going forward which include ensuring the alignment of the National Budget with the AAID programs and development results, enhancement of capacities in implementation planning, periodic reporting, follow-up, and learning at the level of Ministries, Agencies, and Commissions and the national level”, Mr. Kuukpen noted. For her part, the United Nations Resident Representative to Liberia, Ms. Christine N. Umutoni says Liberia’s National Development Plan from 2025-2029 marks a transformative step towards sustainable and inclusive development.She noted that despite challenges like multidimensional poverty, unemployment, and limited infrastructure, Liberia’s youthful population, natural resources, and strategic location offer immense potential.However, the National Development Plan emphasizes inclusiveness, sustainability, accountability, and local ownership.According to her, the plan is unique because it applies a cause-consequence approach to development, and ensures interventions are catalytic and enable domino effects.It introduces program planning, laying the fundamentals for programs-based budgeting and strengthening the links between resources and outcomes.She disclosed that for Liberia to achieve the national development Plan, it requires a total investment of US$7.6 billion United States dollars of which the government has committed to enhancing domestic resource mobilization, pursuing innovative financing mechanisms, and fostering partnerships with private sector stakeholders, development partners, and the diaspora. The National Coordination Committee Meeting was attended by Liberia’s Finance and Development Planning Minister, Hon. Augustine K Ngafuan, Deputy Minister for Budget and Development Planning, Hon. Tanneh G. Brunson, United Nations Resident Representative to Liberia, Ms. Christine N. Umutoni, World Bank Country Manager to Liberia, Ms. Georgia Wallen, United Nations Development Program Deputy Resident Representative Mr. Louis Kuukpen, Assistant Minister for Development Planning, Hon. J. Willington Barchue and other development partners, Representatives from the Civil Society organization, and officials from Ministries and Agencies among other staffers from MFDP witnessed the official.   “This joint programme is supported by the Joint SDG Fund. We sincerely appreciate the contributions from the European Union and the governments of Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Monaco, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Republic of Korea, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland in accelerating progress towards the SDGs.”

National and international male staff members serving in the United Nations in Liberia have pledged to adhere to an enduring commitment by joining ranks with other UN colleagues, government, human rights groups, and civil society organizations to combat gender-based violence (GBV) in Liberia as a matter of urgency.  As part of the observance of the annual 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based event, the One UN in Liberia organized a one-day, roundtable all-UN Men’s Conference, attended by various mainstream media journalists, to enhance men’s knowledge on dangers of gender-based violence as well as seek the men’s commitment and then commission them as anti-GBV ambassadors.  At the end of the Conference, the UN Men overwhelmingly expressed their readiness to be involved in warding off GBV in the workplace, families, and communities. Moses Kelleh, a HeForShe champion at UN Women Liberia said he would be a role model. “I will continue to demonstrate the positive male roles to my children especially the boys in standing up for women and girls rights”, he stated. Joseph Van Harmon II of WFP Liberia made it clear that he would work with other men to get more engagements with communities, raising awareness on GBV. According to the Government of Liberia, the prevalence of sexual gender-based violence (SGBV) in the country has reached new heights, thus posing “a grave threat to the safety and dignity” of people and is quickly getting out of hand affecting women and girls but also children bearing the brunt of it. Liberia’s Minister of Gender, Children, and Social Protection, Hon. Gbeme-Horace Kollie, speaking during the 16 Days of Activism pre-launch media conference in Monrovia opined: “Gender-based violence remains a grave threat to the safety and dignity of women, girls, boys, and children across Liberia, as reflected in the 2023 and 2024 SGBV statistics. In 2023, a total of 3,204 SGBV cases were recorded, with women accounting for 93% of the survivors. Women and girls remain disproportionately affected, with rape accounting for 2,007 cases, sexual abuse for 398 cases, and Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) for 791 cases”.  Interestingly, the engagement of the UN men to prevent SGVB is also a stitch in time for sharing best practices, said Ms. Leetor Willaims of OHCHR, one of the conference organizers. According to Ms. Williams, “It was important to hold a conference for UN men focused on ending GBV because it is crucial for raising awareness, promoting accountability and encouraging men as allies in actively contributing to ending GBV and promoting systemic change. It facilitated sharing best practices, building of networks, and advancing gender equality”. UNDP’s Gender Program Officer and Gender Focal Point, Ms. Ernree Neeplo, played a key role in the planning of the conference. "Organizing and holding the first One UN Men Engagement Conference was a groundbreaking moment in our efforts to advance gender equality within the UN system in Liberia. It highlighted the importance of engaging men as proactive allies in challenging gender biases and fostering more inclusive practices, she said” Earlier, UN Liberia Resident Coordinator, Ms. Christine Umutoni, addressed the conference, recognizing the collaboration of all partners, and calling for immediate action against GBV. “As we amplify the call for collective action and acknowledge the invaluable contributions of our partners, both local and international, I must re-emphasize that the time for robust action is now. This campaign must penetrate every corner of Liberia, reaching churches, mosques, schools, intellectual centers, football fields, and rural communities with the same intensity and dedication we apply during political campaigns, “ she stressed.  At the same time, UN Women Liberia Country Representative, Ms. Comfort Lamptey, emphasized the relevance of working with men to end GBV. She said UN Women Liberia has been, is, and will continue to be robust in engaging men: “Through our HeForShe Programs we mobilized men and boys throughout out project interventions areas to be a transform MAN who recognizes that both men and women are created equal, and women and girls should be able to contribute to the well-being of society. This conference is so important, because as much as we work with men and boys in communities, we shouldn’t forget ourselves, if we must holistically address gender issues and gender inequality throughout our community”.  Organizers of the UN Men’s Conference said the gathering was a salient way of unlocking UN men’s abilities to fight GBV as well as challenging the structures, beliefs, practices, and institutions that sustain men’s aggregate privileges, as well as to address inequalities between women and men. Several female staff members of the UN also joined the conference, making presentations, encouraging men to be better instruments against GBV, and committing to work in cohort with men. The conference discussed a wide range of topics including “Mainstreaming Masculinity and Femininity: A viable option for achieving gender equality and empowerment of women in Liberia”, “Men and Mental Health: Tackling the Stigma,” “Balancing Career and Family Life,” as well as “Briefing on HeForShe” and “General Discussions” among others.