Once one of the most stable and prosperous nations in Africa, Liberia was devastated by two decades of civil war which killed almost ten percent of the population and more than halved the size of the economy.

The country is only now on the road to recovery. Peace was negotiated in 2003, and in 2005 free and fair elections brought Africa's first female Head of State, President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, into office.

The Liberian government is trying to rebuild the country with a broad set of policies to foster peace, accelerate reconstruction and development, and build strong systems of governance. Security in the country has stabilised with the ongoing support of the United Nations. In 2010 the Government was able to cancel $4.9bn of debt by reaching the completion point of the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) initiative, with financial reforms approved by the World Bank and IMF, leaving greater resources available for investment in public services and poverty reduction.

Significant new inward investment has been secured to rebuild Liberia’s infrastructure and generate economic growth, including for the exploration of offshore oil and the development of sustainable supplies of renewable energy. In 2010, improved prospects for the economy were boosted by the re-commencement of direct flights to the United States, a big symbolic moment.

Road projects have been completed and the electricity network in Monrovia upgraded, doubling installed electricity capacity. But there are still enormous challenges to be faced to ensure the “peace dividend” is realised: the security situation remains fragile, unemployment remains high, and physical infrastructure such as roads and power is still inadequate. 

Crucially, the government needs to develop the capacity to deliver effectively for the people of Liberia, which is so essential to the credibility and sustainability of the emerging democratic process.

AGI launched its third project in Liberia in early 2010, after a detailed scoping mission in 2009. A team of 4 staff have been on the ground in Liberia since early 2010, providing support to the Ministry of State (the Office of the President), strengthening coordination, planning and prioritisation within the Ministry.

One area AGI has focused on is the Cabinet process. Dr Momo K. Rogers, Director General of Cabinet, believes the partnership with AGI has helped him to develop tools to make Cabinet more effective.  “Working with the AGI Governance Advisor,” he says, “we have managed to prepare a Cabinet Manual and tracking templates specific to the Liberian Cabinet.”

Johnson Sirleaf rejects the idea that a stronger centre undermines capacity elsewhere in government; on the contrary, she argues, “a well performing Presidency enhances the work of all of our other sector ministries.”