Liberia’s performance on the 2026 Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) Scorecard presents a complex picture, one that reveals both commendable strides in governance and serious shortcomings in economic and social development.
While President Joseph Boakai’s administration can take modest comfort in passing half of the MCC indicators, the data also sound an unmistakable alarm: Liberia’s economy remains deeply fragile, with employment, governance efficiency, and economic inclusiveness as its weakest points.
Where Liberia Passed: Strength in Governance and Personal Freedom
To the government’s credit, Liberia earned passing grades in Control of Corruption, Government Accountability, and Personal Freedom, three indicators that have historically plagued the nation’s governance record.
The Control of Corruption score reflects an improving public perception of integrity in government, likely aided by efforts to strengthen audit institutions, increase public financial disclosures, and reinvigorate anti-graft bodies.
Liberia’s Personal Freedom rating also stands as a bright spot. Civil liberties, freedom of speech, and media pluralism continue to hold, even amid political transition. This suggests that Liberia remains committed to democratic governance, a necessary foundation for sustainable development and foreign investment.
The country also performed respectably in Property and Land Rights (Score 0.593 vs. median 0.519) and Market Competitiveness (Score 0.535 vs. median 0.442). These reflect incremental improvements in market openness and property security, both key elements for business growth.
However, while these areas show institutional progress, their positive impact on the broader population remains limited by weak economic linkages and a stagnant job market.
Where Liberia Failed: Employment, Rule of Law, and Human Capital
The most glaring failure is in Employment Opportunity, where Liberia scored a dismal 0.167, far below the median of 0.420. This indicator measures a government’s commitment to fair labor practices, protection of worker rights, and the creation of jobs. The poor performance echoes the World Bank’s 2025 Economic Update, which concluded that “Liberia’s economy failed to create quality jobs.”
Liberia’s Business Start-Up score also remains discouragingly low, signaling regulatory bottlenecks, limited access to credit, and bureaucratic inertia that stifle entrepreneurship. With a GNI per capita of $760-nearly three times lower than the income category median of $2,155-the average Liberian continues to struggle to escape poverty despite macroeconomic stabilization efforts.
The Government Effectiveness and Regulatory Quality scores show that public institutions are still underperforming in service delivery and policy implementation. Weak administrative systems continue to erode investor confidence and limit the efficiency of public programs.
Under the “Investing in People” category, the picture is equally troubling. Health Expenditures, Workforce Development, and Chronic Disease Prevention lag significantly behind regional and income-group medians. These weaknesses not only affect productivity but also perpetuate intergenerational poverty, particularly among youth and women, groups most affected by Liberia’s unemployment crisis.
Halfway There Is Not Far Enough
Passing half of the MCC scorecard might sound encouraging, but it also means Liberia failed to meet the minimum standards in as many indicators as it passed. For a country aspiring to qualify for new MCC compact funding, that’s a risky position. The MCC’s focus is not merely about ticking boxes but demonstrating consistent progress and governance credibility across all sectors.
The current results suggest a government still grappling with the fundamentals of economic transformation. The contrast between improving governance indicators and declining employment outcomes highlights a crucial gap, good governance without economic inclusion risks deepening inequality and social frustration.
The Path Forward: Governance Must Translate to Growth
Liberia’s task now is not just to sustain the gains in transparency and personal freedoms but to turn policy credibility into economic opportunity. This will require structural reforms that prioritize private sector growth, labor market reforms, and targeted investments in human capital.
The World Bank’s four-pronged proposal, boosting agro-processing and light manufacturing, improving firm competitiveness, modernizing business regulation, and expanding youth and gender participation, offers a credible roadmap. But these reforms demand political will, institutional discipline, and strategic coordination.
If Liberia can align its governance progress with tangible economic outcomes- jobs, skills, and sustainable industries- it can transform the MCC scorecard from a mixed report into a success story. Until then, the red marks on employment, regulation, and human capital remain not just numbers on a chart but a reflection of the daily struggles of millions of Liberians still waiting for the promise of shared prosperity.
Liberia is halfway there; commendable in governance, but critically lagging in inclusion and productivity.
The Boakai administration must now bridge the gap between passing governance and failing livelihoods, because no scorecard can truly be considered a success if it leaves the majority of citizens without work, opportunity, or hope.
