The Ministry of Finance and Development Planning (MFDP), through its ECOWAS National Office, has announced the start of a new project to create a comprehensive Human Capital Development Strategy (HCDS) for Liberia. This initiative follows a directive from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) for all member states to develop their own strategies to support the broader regional goal of becoming a top-performing economic community in human capital by 2030.
Liberia’s Human Capital Index (HCI) was last measured at 0.32 in 2020, placing it below the regional average of 0.38 and the sub-Saharan African average of 0.40. This puts Liberia in the same category as Guinea, Sierra Leone, and Guinea-Bissau as countries lagging in competitiveness due to limited human capital performance.
With a grant of USD 75,000 from the ECOWAS Commission, the MFDP will facilitate the development of the strategy, focusing on several key areas of interest to ECOWAS. These include:
- Health and Nutrition
- Education
- Skills and Labor Participation
- Entrepreneurship
- Financial Inclusion and Digital Payments
These areas focus on how people can come together to boost economic productivity and create wealth.
To kick-start the process, the MFDP will host a two-day workshop from September 4-6, 2025, bringing together 50 key informants, including sector leaders, practitioners, and analysts. The workshop will focus on reviewing foundational HCD content, examining the AAID National Development Plan, and co-creating priority strategies for action plans in education, health, workforce, and governance. The goal is to develop concrete action plans, ownership matrices, and next-step commitments to create a dynamic and thriving society.
Following the workshop, the findings and recommendations will be reviewed in a pre-validation session with senior management at the MFDP. This will be followed by an official launch, publication, and awareness campaign for the new strategy. The MFDP is committed to regularly evaluating the effectiveness of the HCDS and making any necessary adjustments to ensure its continued success.
The ministry believes that a strong focus on human capital development is essential for navigating regional and global complexities and achieving long-term success through inclusive growth and development.
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