Liberian Archbishop Dr. Ola W.B. Jallah urges President Joseph Boakai to tackle poverty in his rescue mission.
Barely a month after the World Bank's latest report on poverty in Liberia, Archbishop Dr. Ola W.B. Jallah is cautioning President Joseph Nyuma Boakai to take the report seriously and help rescue the nation and its people from poverty.
Last Month, the World Bank said in its assessment report that more than one million Liberians live in extreme poverty, and 2.5 million live in abject poverty.
Archbishop Jallah urges the Government of Liberia to attach importance to the 2023 World Bank Report if poverty must be reduced in Liberia.
"If President Boakai's government must succeed, they should swiftly adhere to the World Bank 2023 report by addressing Poverty as key fundamentals to growing and developing the country|, he stresses.
Archbishop Dr. Ola W.B. Jallah, the Presiding General Overseer of the Liberia Annual Conference of Grace Outreach Ministries, told The NEW DAWN that extreme poverty results from a nation's inability to feed its citizens.
He indicates a nation that can't feed its people lacks the willpower to improve their living conditions, noting that the crisis here is a result of low salaries and wages given to ordinary people, especially those in the public and private sectors.
He rallied President Boakai to swiftly address poverty and boost economic growth, saying that Liberia needs to get involved in exporting goods and services made in Liberia to the world market.
Addressing a news conference recently in Monrovia, Archbishop Jallah attributed economic barriers to a lack of price control and high financial requirements placed on goods and services at the National Port Authority (NPA) and other government institutions, which have caused untold poverty.
He urges the government to focus on the Agriculture Sector, stressing, "If the government is serious about reducing poverty and bringing about economic growth and development to the nation, the poor implementation of the country's agricultural and production activities must be a major focus."
He notes the World Bank poverty assessment index indicates a lack of interest in developing policies and programs that could create job opportunities in the private sector for many jobless Liberians past governments, which are some of the reasons for increased poverty here.
According to him, if Liberia is to get on par with other countries in the world in poverty reduction, the government must ensure that foreign companies opening here manufacture goods using at least 50 percent of Liberia's natural resources instead of exporting 100 percent raw materials.
He argues that the exportation of natural resources to foreign land by foreign companies, with locals receiving peanuts, is a serious hindrance to economic growth.
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The Liberia Ministers Network Fellowship president continues that socio-economic growth and infrastructural development can only be achieved if government officials uphold honesty and self-integrity and stand against corruption.
Meanwhile, the World Bank's 2023 Report unveils that 3.5 million Liberians live in poverty, noting that after decades of relative peace, more than half of the country's population still lives in poverty, reflecting the scars of a devastating civil conflict and Ebola crisis. "The report finds that nearly 6 out of every 10 Liberians live in poverty based on the national poverty line", it details. Editing by Jonathan Browne
