Africa-Press – Liberia. Dr. Adesina said Liberia’s future depends on how well it handles what it already possesses.
African Development Bank (AfDB) President Dr. Akinwumi Adesina has urged Liberia to take bold and decisive steps in managing its vast natural resources, holding public officials accountable, and investing in its youth as a path to sustainable development.
Speaking during a high-level visit to Monrovia for the official launch of the Youth Entrepreneurship Investment Bank (YEIB), the first of its kind in Africa, Dr. Adesina said Liberia’s future depends on how well it handles what it already possesses.
He told President Joseph Boakai and his audience that Liberia has no business being poor, considering its wealth of minerals, forests, fertile agricultural land, and biodiversity.
He emphasized that these riches, if well-managed, could unlock national prosperity, and he challenged Liberia’s leadership to break from past practices that have kept the country stagnant. The YEIB, launched with an initial investment of US$17.8 million, is expected to support more than 150 youth-led businesses, unlock over US$500 million in lending, and create new job opportunities for Liberians between the ages of 18 and 35.
The initiative aims to stimulate a new wave of youth-driven enterprise development by funding startups, providing mentorship, and driving innovation in sectors such as agriculture and digital technology.
President Boakai described the YEIB as a program that speaks directly to the heart of Liberia’s future, citing the demographic reality that more than 60 percent of Liberia’s population is under the age of 30. He said the bank would help shift young people from job seekers to job creators.
Dr. Adesina also made a strong appeal for Liberia to end its reliance on the export of raw materials, describing the practice as the door to poverty. He stressed that the country should instead build value chains to process its own raw materials and produce finished goods for export.
According to him, this shift would create jobs, boost local industries, and retain wealth within the country. He urged the Boakai administration to invest in infrastructure and technical skills that would support local value addition, pointing out that the export of value-added products is the highway to wealth.
In one of the most candid speeches directed at a Liberian President in recent years, Adesina called for swift action against underperformance in government. He applauded President Boakai for instituting performance evaluations for public officials but warned that good policies would mean little without strict implementation.
He advised the President not to merely blow the whistle when things go wrong but to take corrective action. He said Boakai must use his time in office wisely and avoid babysitting non-performing officials. Instead, he should reward those who perform, remove those who do not, and be prepared to change players and game plans when necessary.
Adesina emphasized that the Liberian people are looking for results, not promises or intentions.
Reflecting on his own experience as President of the AfDB for the past ten years, Adesina shared seven core leadership lessons with the Liberian government. He began by highlighting the need for a clear and compelling national vision. He recounted that when he assumed leadership at the AfDB, he introduced the Bank’s “High 5s” as a framework to guide development across the continent.
He noted that each Vice President at the Bank was made accountable for one of the High 5s and signed performance contracts that were tracked and reviewed annually. He encouraged Boakai to implement a similar structure in government, holding ministries and agencies accountable for delivering on the six pillars of the ARREST agenda, which includes Agriculture, Roads, Rule of Law, Education, Sanitation, and Tourism. Adesina stressed that measurable performance must be monitored, rewarded, and enforced to make the agenda effective.
As a former Minister of Agriculture in Nigeria, Adesina reminded Liberian ministers and agency heads that they are not the President but are appointed to help the President succeed. He said he once told his own President that if he failed to deliver results, he should be fired.
That level of accountability, he added, led to his ministry producing 21 million tons of food and exceeding national targets. He urged Liberian officials to set high goals and aim for big results rather than settling for mediocrity. Adesina also encouraged unity within the government and discouraged inter-agency rivalry, proposing what he called the Baobab Principle.
Just as it takes many hands to circle a Baobab tree, he said national development requires the collective effort of all arms of government. He explained how the AfDB adopted a “One Bank” model to ensure alignment across departments and called on Liberia to consider launching an Inter-Agency Presidential Performance Award to recognize collaborative progress.
Adesina praised the Boakai administration for its commitment to restoring integrity in the civil service and reforming the judiciary, but he cautioned that these institutions must embrace a culture of results and efficiency.
He said a civil service that fails to perform delays national development and that an independent, effective judiciary is essential to building public trust and attracting investment. As his second and final term at the AfDB comes to a close, Adesina expressed admiration for Liberia’s resilience and pride in its people.
Work as One Government. It is simple, but powerful. Don’t just blow the whistle, use your yellow card or red card. There is no need for rules in a soccer game if the referee never uses the yellow card or the red card. I wish to commend you, Mr. President for your decision to conduct performance appraisals for public institutions. Also significant is your decision to sanction public officials that have not complied. There needs to be strict enforcement of performance reviews and consequences for non-performance.
Dr. Akinwumi A. Adesina, President, African Development Bank
He closed his message with an emotional appeal to national identity and unity, urging Liberians to remember their shared strength, resilience, and hope. He invited the audience to repeat after him, “I am Liberian,” drawing cheers and applause from the crowd.
Responding to Dr. Adesina’s remarks, President Boakai expressed gratitude and admiration for the AfDB leader, calling him a trusted partner and a champion for Africa’s development.
President Boakai said Dr. Adesina’s tenure at the AfDB had transformed the Bank into a dynamic and effective institution, noting that its capital more than doubled from a little over US$2 billion in its first fifty years to over US$4 billion in just the last ten years.
The President highlighted the AfDB’s ongoing US$408 million portfolio in Liberia, which supports 18 active projects across transport, agriculture, energy, finance, and other sectors. He said these projects are not just statistics but real investments that connect communities, light homes and businesses, improve food security, and restore faith in government.
President Boakai also emphasized the importance of continued partnership with the AfDB in the years ahead, especially with major projects such as the Liberty Corridor, which aims to connect Liberia with neighboring Guinea, Burkina Faso, and Mali.
Through your leadership, the African Development Bank has invested in real solutions that touch lives every day. Here in Liberia, the Bank’s current portfolio is impressive, standing at about 408 million United States dollars and covering 18 projects in sectors critical to growth. These include transport, energy, agriculture, finance, and multisectoral initiatives. These investments are not just numbers on paper. They are roads that connect our communities, energy that lights up homes and businesses, and agriculture projects that strengthen food security and create income for our farmers.
Joseph Nyuma Boakai, President of Liberia
He said the project has the potential to position Liberia as a trade gateway for its landlocked neighbors and to promote regional integration and shared prosperity.
President Boakai welcomed the Bank’s push for domestic resource mobilization and said it could become a game-changer for Liberia and other countries across the continent.
The President also reflected on the long-standing relationship between Liberia and Dr. Adesina, saying the AfDB president’s legacy in Liberia is deep and lasting.
He commended the impact of programs launched under his leadership and said they would continue to benefit Liberians for generations to come.
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