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Liberia
Gradual stabilisation after years of civil war

After 14 years of civil war, a democratic election in 2005 marked the start of a process of political and economic stabilisation in Liberia. The elections in January 2018 led to a change of government, which was peaceful on the whole. Still, it is one of the poorest countries in the world. The infrastructure suffered significant damage from the civil war, and large parts of the country are only partially accessible, especially during the rainy season. The nation’s agricultural potential remains largely untapped. Against this background, improving infrastructure, increasing agricultural productivity and good governance are central pillars of the poverty alleviation strategy. Since the Ebola epidemic ended, the economy has been slowly recovering, posting growth of around 3% in 2017.
In light of the recent Ebola epidemic, the Liberian government decided to make extensive improvements to the national healthcare system in cooperation with the donor community. The Investment Plan for Building a Resilient Health System 2015-2021 aims to ensure that the population has access to basic healthcare services of appropriate quality.
KfW Development Bank is supporting Liberia in implementing this investment plan on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). The FC commitment will focus on improving the range and quality of healthcare services in selected regions in the four counties of Grand Gedeh, Sinoe, Grand Kru and River Gee in southeastern Liberia. This will be accomplished, among other things, by refurbishing, expanding and providing equipment to existing healthcare facilities, as well as constructing new ones. The target group is the largely poor population in the predominantly rural, remote areas. The project is being implemented by Deutsche Welthungerhilfe (WHH) in close cooperation with the Liberian government.
In Liberia, financial cooperation aims to achieve a balanced approach to promotion, focusing on rapid stabilisation and long-term nation-building. After 14 years of civil war, the effects of which can still be felt today, external interventions must make a visible contribution to stabilisation and in turn mitigate the increased risk of conflict and violence. This will be achieved through the Reintegration and Reconstruction Programme (RRP), which visibly improves the living conditions of the local population through NGO structures in the traditionally overlooked southeast of the country. At the same time, the very weak – in some cases, dysfunctional – state institutions must be built up over the long term and support must be provided for the reconstruction of the country, much of which has been destroyed. To date, KfW has been involved in the Liberia Reconstruction Trust Fund (LRTF) administered by the World Bank, which was co-founded by Germany in 2009. The economic infrastructure has been improved, laying the foundation for strengthening and revitalising the economy, which in turn contributes to stabilising Liberia. These visible successes in reconstruction are still necessary in the current consolidation phase to restore the population’s confidence in state structures that are capable of action.
Project Information – Reintegration and Reconstruction Programme (PDF, 147 KB, non-accessible)
Further information
Contact
KfW Development Bank
Phone: +49 69 74 31-42 60