The African Development Bank (ADB), cataloging all its financial assistance since the seating of the Ellen-led administration, is in the lead as the largest supporter of Liberia’s renewal programs, Finance Minister Augustine Ngafuan says.

This does not mean that other institutions are far below the leeway of support to Liberia or that they are not making substantial efforts toward helping Liberia out of its economic, political and governance quagmire, but that the ABD is consistently lending helping hand to Liberia in the area of budget support, water sector revitalization, as well as the agriculture sector which forms an integral part of the poverty reduction initiative.

For example, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank have been extremely instrumental in helping Liberia with huge grants to facilitate road rehabilitation and other earmarked projects, but the ADB, an African owned bank has come out with flying colors in terms of granting more funds to the country.

The ADB sometimes ago, provided to Liberia a grant of about US$40 million for the purpose of salvaging Liberia’s water sector, particularly the White Plans facilities of the Liberia Water & Sewer Corporation (LWSC) to beef up its capacity in providing water to Monrovia and other parts of the country.

Because of all of these, Liberia’s Finance Minister, Augustine Ngafuan who is also instrumental in working with the ADB and other financial institutions sourcing the needed funds to enable Liberia engage its programs and set projects, has been heaping praises on the institution.

Speaking at a signing ceremony between the Liberian Government and the ADB represented by its Vice President, he stressed the importance of the water sector to Liberia and the significance the government has attached to rejuvenating the sector.

He told the ADB vice boss whose institution is pumping in the money to get the water sector and other sectors get off the ground that the people of Liberia were eager to see the water sector regulated and even explained some of the difficulties that had been experienced in recent times which had to do with damaging of a major pipe, because of which the capacity of water pumped to Monrovia daily dropped.

When Liberians, he said, learned of the huge sum of money the ABD has provided for the revitalization of the water sector, especially the White Plant facilities of the LWSC, the expressed elation.

Another project very vital to the Liberian state and people which the ADB is funding is the Fish Town – Harper Highway and according to the Finance Minister with the level of support the ADB is providing, and hand-on approach has been adopted, noting “We are focused that the Fish Town – Harper Highway is in irreversible track.”

“Giving the level of support that ADB has given us, and I should not fail to mention budget support at a very critical time, especially at the height of the fuel oil crisis, the financial crisis, when we started to experience tremendous revenue shocks, were not for the budget support in the tune of about US$23 million, we were going to tide over,” he said in retrospect of what has been and is doing for Liberia.

When push came to shove and Liberia was left with the option to cut appropriations fro some of its program such as the PRS initiative, he said it was the ADB that advised that it was done at least at a minimal level.

With these serious storms which Liberia is weathering because of the support the ADB is providing, Minister Ngafuan said Liberia was indeed grateful to the African financial body.

Also buttressing the Finance Minister, Agriculture Minister Florence Chenoweth whose ministry gets the greatest attention thanked the Bank, saying that it has made Africa and Africans proud.

Recalling that she was one of those instrumental in the formation of the Bank, she said the ADB has done so well, and that without any attempt of flattery, the bank has made Africa proud to be the largest in helping Liberia rebuild its broken infrastructures.

“Our focus now is not on the past, how we got here, rather our focus is to look forward to rebuild our country,” Minister Chenoweth said.

Besides that, she informed the ADB delegation that the money was in save hands and indicated there were unequivocally many challenges in her sector but that they will take them on.

At the same time, the Liberian Government and the African Development Bank (ADB) yesterday signed a US$18.28M for the Agriculture Sector Rehabilitation Project (ASRP).

ADB’s Vice President Dr. Kamal   ElKheshen signed for the institution while Finance Minister, Augustine Ngafuan in the presence of Agriculture Minister Florence Chenoweth.

“It gives me the great pleasure to take part in the signing ceremony of the second ADF Grant Agreement for the Agriculture Sector Rehabilitation Project (ASRP). This brings the all over Bank support to the project to USD 18.24 million, and constitutes 78% of the total cost of the programme which is co-financed with the international fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and the Government of Liberia,” the ADB  vice said.

He said the grand was the first operation the bank provided to the post-conflict development efforts directed at Liberia’s agriculture sector, besides the African Food Crisis Response (AFRC) grant of UA3.00 million which was provided as budget support to contribute to the easement of macroeconomic imbalances that were created by the escalation of food prices.

Saying that the government of Liberia is committed to improving rural livelihoods, he noted that the Grant Agreement being signed will help Liberia in achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), particularly the goal of eradicating hunger and poverty.

One significant part of the grant, according to him, is that it will help about 9600 rural households directly benefit from the programme with other key benefits being 100km of feeder roads, improved water management infrastructure for 1600 amongst others.

More than that, he said the project complements other ongoing projects and its design fully recognizes and responds to gender, environmental and climate change issues, at the same time reiterated the excellent relations between the Government of Liberia and the Bank and assured the bank’s continued support to the programmes pursued by the Government which aim to enhance development in an environmentally sustainable manner.