Finance Minister Off To World Bank, IMF Annual Meetings

By P. Vangerline Kpotoe

The Minister of Finance and Development Planning (MFDP), Augustine K. Ngafuan, at the head of a Liberian Government delegation is in Washington, D.C., the United States of America to participate in the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) annual meeting from October 21 to 26, 2024.

A statement from the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning (MFDP) dated October 20, 2024, indicated that the high-level delegation, which includes the Acting Executive Governor of the Central Bank of Liberia, will engage in a series of multilateral and bilateral discussions.

The statement furthered that the talks are aimed at boosting confidence among Liberia's partners and accelerating support for the country’s ARREST Agenda for Inclusive Development.

While in Washington, the statement revealed that Minister Ngafuan is scheduled to meet with several key figures, including World Bank Vice President, Ousman Diagana, Acting U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Economic Affairs, Amy Holman, IMF Africa Region Director Abebe Selassie, and the Director of the IMF’s Fiscal Affairs Department, among others.

The press release also noted that Minister Ngafuan will chair the African Group 1 Constituency meeting at the World Bank, which consists of 22 African member countries.

Additionally, the release asserted that the Liberian Finance Minister will participate in the Liberia Energy Deep Dive session, focused on scaling up support for Liberia’s energy sector.

“We are going to present the story of Liberia’s current economic outlook and seek support for future programs. Our immediate priorities are to secure partners' support and funding to finance the budget aligned with the ARREST Agenda, which will have a direct impact on citizens’ lives,” the MFDP statement quoted Minister Ngafuan as saying.