Monrovia, Liberia – Information Minister Jerolinmek M. Piah has mounted a detailed defense of the Boakai administration’s performance, presenting a broad account of progress under the government’s National Development Plan while acknowledging persistent weaknesses in employment, infrastructure, rural services and institutional reform.
Speaking at the Ministry of Information’s press briefing on Tuesday, August 25, Piah said the government’s development record should be assessed against measurable outcomes rather than political rhetoric, pointing to reported gains across employment, agriculture, electricity, roads, water, justice, governance, education, health and environmental protection.
Piah said the government’s economic transformation efforts had generated approximately 6,000 affiliated jobs, alongside more than 70,000 short- and medium-term jobs.
He also highlighted the establishment of the Youth Entrepreneurship Investment Bank, through which more than US$17.8 million was reportedly made available to support approximately 30,000 youth-led businesses.
Agricultural production, according to Piah, increased to approximately 201,074 metric tons, while the government constructed 13 mechanization hubs and provided subsidies to farmers.
The Information Minister also cited poultry production as another area in which government interventions had contributed to increased output.
Moving to infrastructure, Piah pointed to increased electricity access as one of what he described as the administration’s major achievements.
He said national electricity access rose from 32 percent in 2022 to 38 percent in 2025 and 39 percent as of June 30, 2026.
Piah used his own community as an example, saying residents in an area of Broadway where he has lived since 2011 only gained access to electricity in February 2026.
According to him, the electricity supply has remained stable, illustrating what he described as the tangible impact of the government’s infrastructure interventions.
“Some of us are witnesses,” Piah said while explaining the significance of communities gaining electricity for the first time.
The Minister further reported that 141.1 kilometers of roads had been paved or rehabilitated, while 256.41 kilometers of secondary roads had been maintained.
He also cited the rehabilitation or paving of 336.24 kilometers of urban and community roads, as well as the deployment of 285 pieces of earth-moving equipment, commonly known as yellow machines, across the country for road works.
Public transportation, he said, has also expanded significantly.
Piah reported that the National Transit Authority, which inherited four unusable buses, now has a fleet of 53 buses and five trucks, expanding public transportation coverage.
Water and sanitation were also highlighted.
According to the Minister, access to safe drinking water increased from 77 percent to 78.8 percent, reaching approximately 4.4 million people in 2025.
Water supply reportedly increased from 700 million gallons to 846 million gallons, while 3,210 new household connections were made to the water system.
Piah also cited improvements in sewer connections and sludge removal as evidence of progress in sanitation services.
On the rule-of-law front, the Minister said Liberia was ranked the 10th most peaceful country in sub-Saharan Africa in the 2025 Global Peace Index, among 44 countries assessed.
He said alternative dispute-resolution mechanisms handled 1,028 cases, including 278 in 2025 and 750 during the first half of 2026.
Judicial digitization and modernization of case-management systems were also cited, alongside efforts to standardize legal filings.
Piah said work had advanced on legislation related to war and economic crimes and anti-corruption.
The government’s anti-drug campaign also featured prominently in his presentation.
He said the Liberia Drug Enforcement Agency arrested 525 suspects and seized more than 10,000 kilograms of drugs in 2025, while additional seizures included approximately 354.84 kilograms valued at about US$19 million, referring to the cocaine case that has become a major national issue in 2026.
The Minister also highlighted improvements in government auditing and accountability.
According to him, government audit coverage increased to 65 percent at the end of 2025, while 98 percent of presidential appointees had complied with asset-declaration requirements.
He said the General Auditing Commission had cleared its audit backlog and, during the first half of 2026, completed 31 audits of spending entities and commenced 35 additional audits.
Piah also pointed to the establishment and operationalization of the Ministry of Local Government, the launch of an electronic government procurement platform and Liberia’s continued compliance with the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative.
The government’s environmental agenda, he said, had expanded to all 15 counties through the Environmental Protection Agency.
Piah cited county environmental committees, digitized environmental compliance processes, upgraded laboratories and increased enforcement activities.
He said illegal occupants had been removed from Sapo National Park and that the government had advanced biodiversity conservation initiatives and wildlife protection.
Energy projects were also cited, including the LIRENAP, LERCIP and other electrification initiatives intended to expand access to power across the country.
On human capital development, Piah said the government recruited and deployed 2,193 volunteer teachers, issued 2,445 school permits and trained thousands of teachers, school leaders and education officers.
More than 23,000 girls reportedly received menstrual hygiene materials during the first half of 2026, while more than 105,000 students were screened and 1,351 eyeglasses distributed.
In health, the Minister cited upgraded drug depots in 12 counties, construction of diagnostic centers in Margibi and Bong counties, increased public-health coverage and a reduction in medicine stock-outs.
He also reported expanded availability of certified health products and the initiation of solar facilities at health centers in all 15 counties.
Despite the long list of achievements, Piah acknowledged that the government still faces significant challenges.
He said unemployment remains a major concern, with short-term employment dominating the labor market while permanent jobs remain limited.
Agricultural mechanization hubs are still largely under construction, rural banking remains limited and broader economic diversification beyond agriculture and micro, small and medium-sized businesses is still at an early stage.
Piah also acknowledged shortcomings in rural water supply, rural electrification, connectivity, housing investment and hydropower development.
He said some governance reforms remain incomplete, including electoral boundary delimitation, land digitization, decentralization and further expansion of electronic government services.
The Minister characterized the government’s willingness to acknowledge these weaknesses alongside its achievements as evidence of transparency.
“What you see happening here is that the government now, based on its National Development Plan, has given you updates on the progress made,” Piah said.
“But then the government also comes back to say, here are challenges that are still sustaining and that we are focusing on addressing.”
