Monrovia — President Joseph Boakai inherited a major agricultural initiative from the Weah administration--a US$26 million poultry project in Careysburg. During a visit to the project site in May, President Boakai and his team confirmed that the venture is public-private partnership (PPP) and aligned with the government's ARREST agenda.
Early in May, President Boakai led a delegation to Careysburg District in Rural Montserrado County to inspect progress on what the government has described as a US$26 million poultry project. Officials accompanying him included Minister of State for Presidential Affairs Sylvester Grigsby, Minister of State Without Portfolio Mamaka Bility, and Agriculture Minister Dr. Alexander Nuetah.
The President and his ministers toured the 50-acre site. Speaking briefly to the press, President Boakai said that, once completed, the project will be the largest of its kind in Liberia.
Presidential Press Secretary Kula V. Fofana revealed that the project is being funded by the Government of Liberia through the Ministries of Finance and Agriculture, with oversight from the Ministry of State. The goal, she said, is to reduce Liberia's reliance on imported eggs, chickens, and fertilizers.
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Fofana described the Liberia Poultry Project as "100% Liberian-owned" and financed through loans. She emphasized its potential to create thousands of jobs and stimulate multiple value chains--including poultry farming, feed production, packaging, and fertilizer processing. She added that the project is a key pillar of the President's ARREST Agenda, particularly in the areas of agricultural revitalization, rural empowerment, and food self-sufficiency.
Minister Mamaka Bility, in high spirits during the tour, also expressed strong optimism: "The project will succeed," she declared.
However, since the President's visit and the subsequent announcement, key stakeholders in the poultry sector have raised concerns about the project's structure and implementation. Despite repeated appeals for clarity, the government has remained tight-lipped, fueling widespread unease among poultry industry players and the broader public.
FrontPage Africa has obtained a leaked communication from the Liberia Poultry Federation (LIPOF) to President Boakai, seeking "clarification and engagement on the government's poultry sector investment."
In the letter, LIPOF expressed concern that the idea of a government-established poultry facility--introduced with little to no consultation with existing operators--has triggered serious apprehension among Liberian producers about the potential impact on their businesses and the sector overall.
"To address these concerns responsibly, we convened a meeting of poultry stakeholders, during which various sentiments were expressed. The prevailing concern, however, centered on the fear that such an investment, if not transparently structured and integrated with sector stakeholders, could displace or severely disadvantage existing local producers," the letter stated.
According to the letter, LIPOF engaged with the leadership of both the Liberia Chamber of Commerce and the Liberia Business Association. Together, they agreed that "responsible engagement requires a full understanding of the facts and objectives behind this government-backed initiative."
"FrontPage Africa reached out to LIPOF to verify the authenticity of the letter, but the Federation did not respond as of press time. However, a member of LIPOF, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly, disclosed that the Federation had contacted the relevant oversight ministries but received no substantive information about the project. 'Everyone is saying they don't know much about the project. They say it's being run by the Ministry of State. Everywhere we go, we're told to direct our questions to the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of State. But since we reached out to them, we've received no response,' the source said."
FPA also contacted the key ministries involved, including the Ministry of State for Presidential Affairs, the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning and the Ministry of Agriculture but received no responses.
Presidential Press Secretary Kula Fofana told FPA she was engaging relevant officials to provide a full response. Mrs. Patience S. Kumeh, Director of Communications at the Ministry of Finance, also promised to respond but had not done so at the time of publication.
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Amid the government's silence, FPA investigation uncovered that funding for the poultry project is being secured through an export credit loan agreement between the Government of Liberia and Bank Leumi Le-Israel B.M., totaling EUR 21,558,226. According to our source, the agreement was ratified in 2023 under the 54th Legislature through an act titled: "An Act to Ratify the Financing Agreement - Export Credit Facility between the Republic of Liberia and Bank Leumi Le-Israel B.M." The act was passed by the Legislature on July 25, 2023, and approved by then-President George Weah on August 21, 2023.
Despite the existence of this ratified loan agreement, critical questions remain unanswered, If the project is funded through a loan, how much has been disbursed to date? What is the extent of private sector involvement? Who are the private sector partners, and what share of the project do they hold? What percentage of the project is owned by the government, and how is the project being managed?
This is a two-part series. Part II looks at the validity of the act ratifying the loan agreement, the repayment plan and how much has been disbursed to the government of Liberia.
