Finance Minister Amara Konneh has warned Liberians to desist from preaching ethnicity if Liberia is to recover from the effects of the civil crisis which was heavily characterized by ethnicity and power greed.

Mr. Konneh said the fact that he belongs to the Mandingo ethnic group is posing another challenge for him as a Finance Minister. Addressing thousands of Liberians in Minnesota, USA on Liberia's 166th Independence Anniversary, Minister Konneh said "By working together to put an end to ethnicity, exclusion and marginalization in Liberia, we will be giving our children the greatest gift that is within our power to give, the one we did not receive from those who came before us.

He said while Liberians are harboring 'old tension' due to religious, ethnic and political differences, a new class struggle is raising its head; "because the fact is people will always have an excuse to disagree and choose a negative perspective on other people, issues and events." Speaking amidst applauds, the Finance Minister said "I have seen the damaging impact of tribal and religious prejudice," something that he said ostracized a lot of Liberians and robbed "them of their valuables, dignity, their limbs and lives, simply because of their ethnicity." "If we have faltered as a people my fellow citizens, that lack of unity has undeniably been at the root of the problem. From our founding to our present, unity has eluded us. And we can see the effects of this challenge nearly two centuries later, as Liberians, tired of a brutal and protracted civil war, now strive to deepen the still fragile peace while still grappling with a sense of 'us versus them," the Finance Minister stressed.

The Minister said "strengthening our fragile peace, enhancing security and the rule of law, fostering reconciliation and national unity; laying durable infrastructure to foster equitable economic growth, while promoting financial transparency to build the confidence that Liberians should have in their government, and to attract larger investments from within and outside Liberia," as some of the critical challenges that Liberians strive to tackle.

He informed Diaspora Liberians that Government has opened the Monrovia-Buchanan highway, reducing travel time by four hours and providing farmers access to market and to the port of Buchanan; and the sick to healthcare facilities.

Minister Konneh said Government is gearing up to pave the road from Paynesville Red-light Market to Ganta and then the Guinea border, Nimba County; and the Zwedru-Fish Town highway.

The minister added that: "we are well advanced in our energy program that is expected to bring close to about 100 megawatts of cheap electricity over the next four years not only to Monrovia but to eighteen rural communities from Ganta to Harper for the first time in the history of our country; and we anticipate that agriculture sector entrepreneurs will, in turn, be able to improve the standard of living for their families, expand their activities and contribute substantially to growth."

Speaking on the topic Liberia: Our Common Ground the Finance the admitted that government has not succeeded in bringing the needed, but said "we can take a great deal of honest pride in what we have achieved."

But the minister added: "what we've accomplished these last six years wouldn't have been possible without a desire for peace and a solid foundation, one painstakingly laid by all Liberians. And much of that work was done by men and women who were content to make their contribution knowing their names would never be enshrined in history; individuals who don't make noise on radio and in the chat rooms; and individuals who wouldn't make the clips when the documentaries about Liberia's resurgence are made."