Ghanaian Investor’s Expanding African Vision Could Bring Capital, Agriculture, Industry and Employment to Liberia in Support of the ARREST Agenda
By Socrates Smythe Saywon
Monrovia, Liberia – Liberia’s drive to attract productive investment, expand agriculture, create employment and accelerate economic transformation is opening new possibilities for partnerships with African investors. Ghanaian businessman Dr. Kingsley F. Makelby has expressed interest in Liberia’s investment prospects, with his engagement placing renewed attention on the country’s growing opportunities for private-sector participation in key sectors of the economy. His expected engagement with President Joseph Nyuma Boakai, Sr. further highlights the potential for expanded investment in agriculture, construction, real estate, natural resources and other productive sectors capable of supporting economic growth and employment creation.
Dr. Kingsley F. Makelby, who is expected to arrive in Liberia by the end of September 2026, is a multi-faceted African business leader, investor, philanthropist and minister whose professional activities span several sectors of the economy. He is identified as the Chief Executive Officer of Makelby International, an investment company with interests extending across agriculture, food production, construction, real estate, natural resources, mining, petroleum, commodities and capital financing. His business interests and philanthropic activities have established him as an increasingly visible figure in Ghanaian business and community development circles, while his stated ambition is to expand productive investment across Africa.
Makelby Foods, also known as Makelby Agro-Industry, represents one of the most important components of his investment vision. The company promotes agricultural industrialization and integrated agricultural value chains, reflecting Dr. Makelby’s stated belief that Ghana and Africa possess the resources and productive capacity to become major food-producing regions for the world. His agricultural activities in Ghana have included rice production, pineapple farming, animal husbandry, fish farming and other agricultural initiatives, while the company has expressed ambitions to expand its agricultural investments beyond Ghana into other African markets, including Liberia and Kenya.
For Liberia, the agricultural dimension of this investment vision carries particular significance. The country has vast agricultural potential, substantial arable land and a youthful population capable of supporting a modern agricultural economy, yet the country continues to depend heavily on imported food products. President Boakai’s ARREST Agenda for Inclusive Development places agribusiness at the center of Liberia’s economic transformation strategy, linking agricultural production with food security, rural development, private investment and sustainable employment. An expansion of serious agricultural investment into Liberia could therefore complement one of the administration’s central development priorities.
The greater opportunity extends beyond farming alone. Modern agriculture creates the foundation for an entire industrial chain involving farm production, mechanization, storage, transportation, processing, packaging, marketing and export. Investment in rice, cassava, vegetables, fruits, livestock and other agricultural commodities can generate economic activity from rural communities to urban markets while creating opportunities for farmers, technicians, engineers, truck operators, processors, warehouse workers, marketers, accountants and thousands of other workers whose livelihoods depend on productive enterprises.
This value-chain approach is particularly relevant to Liberia because agricultural investment can simultaneously address several national challenges. Increased domestic production can reduce dependence on imported food, while local processing can ensure that more economic value remains within the country. Farmers can gain access to reliable markets, businesses can develop around agricultural supply chains, and communities can benefit from new commercial activity. With appropriate investment agreements and strong local participation, major agricultural projects can become platforms for skills development, technology transfer and long-term employment.
Dr. Makelby’s investment profile extends beyond agriculture and provides additional areas for potential engagement with Liberia. Makelby International identifies construction and real estate among its business interests, sectors that are directly connected to Liberia’s infrastructure and urban development needs. Construction investment can create employment for engineers, architects, skilled tradesmen, equipment operators, laborers and suppliers while stimulating demand for cement, steel, transportation, logistics and other locally supplied services. Real estate development can likewise contribute to housing, commercial facilities and planned community development when implemented within Liberia’s regulatory and development framework.
The group’s stated interests in natural resources, mining, petroleum and commodities also correspond with sectors that remain important to Liberia’s economy. Liberia possesses significant mineral resources and a developing petroleum sector, while the country continues to seek investment capable of increasing value addition and expanding economic opportunities. Responsible investment in natural resources can contribute to government revenues, infrastructure development, technical training and employment when projects comply with Liberian laws, environmental requirements and local participation obligations.
The capital financing component associated with Makelby International adds another dimension to the investment profile. The company has publicly described activities involving financing for businesses and entrepreneurs, including debt and equity financing. Access to capital remains one of the major challenges facing Liberian businesses, particularly small and medium-sized enterprises that require financing to expand production, purchase equipment, employ additional workers and enter new markets. Investment partnerships that connect capital with viable Liberian enterprises could therefore contribute to the development of a stronger domestic private sector.
The potential economic significance of Dr. Makelby’s engagement with Liberia is strengthened by his experience in Ghana, where his business activities have included agriculture, real estate and community development. His public record also shows involvement in philanthropic initiatives. In 2020, the Ghana News Agency reported that Evangelist Kingsley Makelby, identified as Founder and President of Kingsley Makelby Ministries, led a charitable donation to patients at the Upper East Regional Hospital in Bolgatanga. His ministry has also been associated with support for vulnerable people, prisoners and orphanages.
His business and community-development activities have attracted recognition in Ghana. MyJoyOnline reported that Dr. Makelby received two awards at the 2024 Ghana Most Respected CEO Awards, including recognition connected to real estate development and social impact and community development. Makelby International was also recognized at the 2024 Ghana Philanthropy Awards, while Dr. Makelby received the Transformational Hero Award. These recognitions add to his public profile as an entrepreneur whose stated interests combine commercial investment with community development.
Dr. Makelby is also described as a lawyer by training and an Evangelist by calling, as well as the Founder and President of Makelby Ministries and President of the Makelby Foundation, which is associated with charitable activities including educational support for students described as brilliant but needy. He has also been enstooled as Nana Kaku II within the Nzema Traditional Area of Ghana in recognition of his connection to rural and community development.
The Liberia opportunity, however, extends beyond the credentials of one investor. It reflects a larger need for Liberia to attract African capital into sectors that can produce tangible economic benefits for ordinary citizens. The country needs investment that moves beyond the extraction or importation of finished goods and instead creates productive enterprises, strengthens local supply chains, develops skills and establishes industries capable of employing Liberians at scale.
President Joseph Nyuma Boakai’s ARREST Agenda provides the policy framework for this transformation. The agenda identifies Agribusiness, Roads and Infrastructure, Rule of Law and Governance, Education and Human Capital Development, Sanitation and Tourism as critical development drivers. Agribusiness and infrastructure in particular provide a strong foundation for private investment because they connect directly with food production, employment, transportation, construction, trade and regional economic integration.
A major investment partnership involving Makelby could therefore become particularly relevant if it translates into concrete projects in agriculture, food processing, construction, real estate, natural resources and other productive sectors. The greatest value would come from projects that employ Liberians, engage Liberian contractors and suppliers, train young people, strengthen farmers, expand domestic production and create opportunities for local entrepreneurs.
Employment creation is especially important because Liberia’s economic transformation depends heavily on expanding opportunities for its young population. Productive investment can create both direct and indirect employment. A large agricultural operation can employ farmers and technicians while creating opportunities for transporters, mechanics, processors, traders and suppliers. A construction project can generate work for skilled professionals and tradesmen while supporting businesses supplying building materials, equipment and services. A processing plant can create factory jobs while establishing markets for local farmers.
This economic multiplier effect is what can turn investment into development. Capital enters the country, productive assets are created, workers are employed, businesses receive contracts, farmers gain markets, communities generate economic activity and government receives additional revenue. When these processes are sustained over time, investment can contribute to stronger household incomes and a broader domestic economy.
Liberia’s location within the Mano River Union and the wider West African market also creates opportunities for investors seeking regional markets. Investment in food production and processing can position Liberia to serve domestic consumers while gradually developing export opportunities. The country’s natural resources, agricultural potential, coastline and growing infrastructure network provide a foundation for diversified investment when supported by appropriate policies, reliable institutions and transparent regulatory processes.
The reported engagement between President Boakai and Dr. Makelby therefore comes at a significant point in Liberia’s development journey. The Boakai Administration has made investment attraction, agricultural transformation, infrastructure development and employment creation important components of its national development program. Dr. Makelby’s stated interests in agriculture, food production, construction, real estate, natural resources, petroleum and other commercial sectors provide several areas where private investment could intersect with those national priorities.
The opportunity for Liberia is to ensure that investment produces measurable economic value and meaningful participation by Liberians. Investment agreements and projects can be structured to promote local employment, skills development, technology transfer, local procurement and value addition while maintaining compliance with Liberian laws and regulatory standards. Such an approach would allow foreign and African investors to benefit from Liberia’s opportunities while ensuring that communities and the national economy also benefit from the resulting economic activity.
Dr. Kingsley F. Makelby’s growing investment profile presents an African business story with potential relevance beyond Ghana. His stated ambition to expand agro-investments across Africa, combined with his interests in construction, real estate, natural resources, petroleum and other sectors, places Liberia within a wider conversation about African capital moving across African borders to develop African economies.
For the Boakai Administration, the attraction of productive investment can become one of the practical mechanisms for advancing the ARREST Agenda. For Liberia’s farmers, workers, entrepreneurs and young people, successful investment can translate into markets, contracts, training, wages and new opportunities. For investors, Liberia presents a market with substantial room for growth and a national government actively seeking partnerships capable of supporting economic transformation.
The significance of Dr. Makelby’s reported engagement with Liberia therefore rests on the possibility of converting investment interest into productive economic activity. Agriculture can become food production and food processing. Natural resources can generate value beyond extraction. Construction can expand infrastructure and employment. Real estate can support planned development. Capital financing can strengthen businesses. And these activities, when properly structured, can create the employment and enterprise opportunities needed to give greater practical meaning to President Boakai’s ARREST Agenda.
Liberia is seeking investment that can help move the country from potential to production and from production to prosperity. Dr. Kingsley F. Makelby’s African investment vision, particularly his stated interest in agriculture and food production, places him within that emerging investment conversation. The next chapter will be measured by the projects that materialize, the capital committed, the enterprises established and, most importantly, the opportunities created for Liberians.
