,Good morning, Your Excellency President Boakai; Honorable Vice President Koung; Honorable Ministers; Members of the Cabinet; and distinguished participants.
On behalf of the World Bank Group, we welcome today’s session – a rare opportunity to interact with the Boakai Administration at a decisive moment for Liberia. Before I introduce our team, who will share a short overview presentation, I wanted to highlight three points.
First, it’s impressive to see the enthusiasm and strong showing of Liberia’s development partners joining today’s dialogue. This signals the keen interest on the part of international partners to engage with the Government of Liberia in order to understand your priorities and support your leadership of Liberia’s development agenda.
Second, I hope this will also send a message to the Liberian people. The message is that international partners care deeply about their well-being and are actively investing in their future. I want to affirm, on behalf of my World Bank group colleagues, that this is our greatest motivation. Our mission to end extreme poverty and promote shared prosperity on a livable planet places people at the core – the Liberian people, especially youth and women.
Third, over the course of our discussions, let’s aim to drive towards concrete next steps and listen for areas of convergence. Convergence around shared priorities is the foundation for future partnership.
One point of convergence is already very clear: we all agree on the urgency of this moment, with no time to waste in the six years to 2030. This is a defining moment for Liberia, and we are all committed to making the most of it.
Best regards.
Michael
