In Liberia, Director-General meets president, ministers, and launches two flagship initiatives

Monrovia - FAO Director-General QU Dongyu concluded a two-day mission to Liberia, during which he met with the country’s highest authorities and launched two flagship initiatives.

The visit highlighted Liberia’s efforts to transform its agrifood systems and improve productivity on its 1.6 million hectares of arable croplands and capitalize on the country’s abundant rainfall.

The Director-General affirmed FAO’s commitment to supporting Liberia’s efforts to shift toward evidence-based, climate-resilient and market-oriented agriculture. The country is “endowed with extraordinary agricultural potential, which is the bedrock of Liberia’s economy and culture,” he said.

Qu had a bilateral meetings with President Joseph Boakai with the Minister of Agriculture J. Alexander Nuetah and with Sara Beysolow Nyanti, the Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs. He also engaged in dialogues with an array of agency chiefs in charge of forestry, environmental protection and fisheries and aquaculture, as well as the UN Resident Coordinator for the country.

“This is a moment to develop smart and efficient agriculture through an integrated holistic approach under the Four Betters,” Qu said during his meeting with President Boakai.

Flagship initiatives launched

The Director-General launched a project focusing on coffee as part of Liberia’s inaugural participation in FAO’s One Country One Priority Product Initiative (OCOP), a flagship program designed to promote specialty food production.

The unique variety of Liberia’s coffee embodies national pride and culture, climate resilience, and significant global market promise, he said.

Liberia selected Coffee Liberica, a rare and indigenous coffee species, as its priority crop.

Collaboration with FAO and the OCOP initiative aims to catalyze transformation of the country’s coffee sector by enhancing quality, productivity and sustainability, promoting agroforestry systems, building a premium, traceable brand for the global coffee market dominated by arabica and robusta varieties, and generating dignified jobs and income, particularly for youth, women and rural communities.

During his visit, the Director-General also launched Liberia’s participation in FAO’s Hand-in-Hand Initiative, which provides a data-driven blueprint for targeted investment and growth, using advanced geospatial intelligence and other precision planning instruments to identify where key value chains such as rice, maize, cassava and cocoa can thrive, where critical infrastructure is most needed, and where farming communities are most vulnerable, all with an eye to targeting investments for maximum socio-economic and environmental return and impact.

The Director-General said he was “delighted to be able to share experience with a nation endowed with immense agriculture potential with unique agricultural products.”

Both initiatives are fully aligned with Liberia’s national development agenda in the agricultural and agro-industrial sectors, value chains, forest restoration, climate goals and the reduction of post-harvest losses.

Liberia presents an emerging frontier for private sector actors and FAO aims to co-create, co-invest and co-deliver tangible action and measurable results, the Director-General said.