The Ministry of Finance and Development Planning (MFDP) has officially launched the Liberia National Student Economic Hub (LNESH) at the University of Liberia, with senior government officials describing the initiative as a major step toward preparing a new generation of young Liberians to actively shape the country's economic future.
Held under the theme, "Collaborating for Solutions: Youth Perspectives on Liberia's Economic Future," the launch brought together government officials, economists, students, development partners, and policymakers for what organizers described as the beginning of a long-term national platform for economic policy engagement, mentorship, and leadership development.
Speaking at the launch on Tuesday, May 19, 2026, Finance and Development Planning Minister Augustine Kpehe Ngafuan urged students to prepare themselves intellectually for leadership and national service, emphasizing that Liberia's future depends on building capable young professionals who can contribute meaningfully to policy and governance.
"This hall is a place where we have come to prepare the future generation, to prepare our replacements," Ngafuan declared. "You are the leaders of tomorrow, and you must be prepared for the challenges of tomorrow."
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Reflecting on his own days as a student leader at the University of Liberia during the civil conflict years of the 1990s, Ngafuan recalled how students pursued knowledge despite enormous hardship.
"We were challenged, many of us were indigent, but we clung to something called hope," he said. "We were greedy, very greedy, but greedy in another way. We were greedy for knowledge, for enlightenment."
The Finance Minister recounted how students at the time invited accomplished Liberians to speak on campus so they could "drink from their fountain and see from their virtue."
He stressed that Liberia must invest not only in physical infrastructure but also in "soft infrastructure" by developing human capacity and intellectual leadership.
"What I want to stress is that as a government, we are engaging in a lot of investment addressing the issue of our infrastructure," Ngafuan said. "But we also have to deal with the soft infrastructure for development. We have to prepare the capacity of men and women."
Ngafuan revealed that beginning June 1, 2026, approximately 1,100 young Liberians will begin a six-month national cadet program across government institutions, private sector entities, and international partners including the United Nations.
"Six months to learn, to bridge the gap between theory and practice," he explained. "We want to make it easy for them in the University of life."
According to him, many of the cadets are expected to secure employment following the program.
The Finance Minister described the LNESH initiative as part of a broader national effort to groom future economists, researchers, and policy professionals capable of driving Liberia's development agenda.
He disclosed that the Hub plans to train more than 500 students in policy analysis, fact-sheet development, macroeconomic research, and evidence-based policy formulation.
"The intention here of this Liberia National Economic Student Hub will be to expose students across universities to fiscal and monetary policy processes through dialogues, policy forums, seminars, and inter-university debates," he stated.
Ngafuan also challenged young Liberians to focus on intellectual growth rather than political hostility and "battle cries."
"We, the Liberians of today, we need to do better than what we are doing," he said. "There's a lot of toxicity in the discourse."
He warned that young people who spend more time mastering political slogans than developing practical skills risk being unprepared for real-world challenges.
"Our duty is to prepare men that are well rounded," the Minister emphasized. "If the time comes for battle cries, we'll shout the battle cries. But when the time comes to produce a paper, a policy brief, we don't want them to be running and waiting. They should be advancing."
In one of the event's most memorable remarks, Ngafuan described the Hub as "another army" -- one focused on ideas rather than weapons.
"The government will recruit people who will hold guns," he said. "The government is recruiting people who will hold pens."
He pledged that the government would continue expanding internship and cadet opportunities for students nationwide.
"The cadet program has taken permanent residence in the budget under President Joseph Boakai," Ngafuan disclosed. "It can only grow bigger."
The Finance Minister further stressed that the initiative would not remain limited to Monrovia or the University of Liberia.
"Young people all across universities -- whether it's LU, Lofa University, Bong University, Tubman University -- this program must touch them all," he said.
Officially launching the initiative, Ngafuan declared: "It is my pleasing duty as Minister of Finance, empowered by our visionary leader President Joseph Nyuma Boakai, to launch this very transformative Liberia National Economic Student Hub."
Also speaking at the event, Executive Governor of the Central Bank of Liberia, Henry F. Saamoi, described the initiative as "timely, forward-looking, and highly strategic."
"This initiative is important because it brings young Liberians directly into the heart of the economic conversation at a time when such inclusion is no longer optional, but a national necessity," Saamoi stated.
The CBL Governor stressed that Liberia's youth should be seen as active economic stakeholders rather than passive beneficiaries.
"Our youth must not be seen only as future leaders, but as present contributors to economic policy, innovation, entrepreneurship, and national development," he emphasized.
Saamoi noted that with more than 60 percent of Liberia's population under the age of 35, the country's youth represent one of its greatest economic advantages.
"A country rises when its young people stop doubting themselves and start actively preparing, contributing, and engaging in national development," he declared.
The CBL Executive Governor further highlighted ongoing reforms aimed at strengthening financial inclusion, digital payment systems, and financial sector resilience.
"At the Central Bank of Liberia, we are advancing key reforms -- including strengthening payment systems, expanding digital financial services, and deepening financial inclusion -- to ensure that more Liberians actively and meaningfully participate in the economy," he explained.
Saamoi also stressed the importance of making economic discussions accessible to ordinary citizens, especially students.
"We also strongly believe that economic understanding should not be confined to policymakers alone -- it must be shared, debated, and shaped by citizens, especially students," he stated.
He assured students that their ideas and perspectives matter in shaping Liberia's economic future.
"Never underestimate the power of your perspective in shaping national decisions, because sometimes one question, one idea, or one voice can change the direction of policy and national development," the CBL Governor said.
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In his welcome remarks, Executive Director of the Liberia Macroeconomic Policy Analysis Center (LIMPAC), P. Pandolo Moye, described the launch as "the structural blueprint of an intellectual movement."
"For too long, policy discussions in Liberia have been confined to board rooms and international conference halls, distant from the bright minds of students," Moye stated.
According to him, the initiative seeks to bridge the gap between policymakers and students while creating opportunities for evidence-based policy engagement.
"You, the students here today, are not just observers of Liberia's economic story," he declared. "You are its future authors."
Assistant Minister for Economic Policy at the MFDP, Henry D.Z. Yanquoi described the Hub as a bridge connecting future policymakers with current national leaders.
"This hub is your laboratory of ideas and your gateway to professional leadership in public policy," Yanquoi told students.
He explained that the platform would organize workshops on economic modeling, data analysis, and policy writing while linking students with government institutions and development organizations through mentorship and internship opportunities.
"Do not see yourself as merely spectators of the economy," Yanquoi urged. "See yourself as the architects of it."
The launch of the Liberia National Student Economic Hub forms part of broader efforts by the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning and its partners to deepen youth engagement in governance, strengthen policy literacy, and build long-term institutional capacity for Liberia's economic transformation.
