In a passionate tone, Hon. Augustine Kpehe Ngafuan, who appeared before the Liberian Senate to justify his nomination as Liberia’s next Finance Minister, vowed to defend Liberia’s cause and put it above others.
“I therefore approach this task with diligence and passion and pledge to men and God that I will use all the fibers of my being in a noble mission to defend the nation’s cause in putting Liberia above others.”
The financial expert, who is close to taking over as Liberia’s Finance Minister, made this commitment as part of ensuring that the Liberian Senate believes in his ideology to manage Liberia’s fiscal plan.
The Minister of Finance and Development Planning Designate, Augustine Kpehe Ngafuan, was appointed in 2021 as the country manager for the Ugandan unit of the African Development Bank (AfDB).
Ngafuan’s appointment was rolled out as the Development Bank posted country managers in seven African nations, including Uganda.
The other countries were the Central African Republic, Ghana, Madagascar, Mali, Sierra Leone, and Togo.
After approximately three years in foreign lands, the Liberian economist and financial expert is back to serve as Finance Minister, a position he previously held during the regime of former President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf.
In his deliberation, Ngafuan highlighted numerous economic reform programs to target if confirmed by the Liberian Senate.
He pointed to effective resource mobilization with a focus on prioritizing the most important areas required for Liberia. He believes that prioritizing the basic needs of Liberia in relation to its wants will guide the government along the path to economic growth.
The Finance Minister Designate, in a persuasive narrative, indicated that, along with the team at the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning (MFDP), more work will be done to see the ARREST Agenda of the Unity Party comes to fruition.
“We will ensure that we drive the Agenda to its logical and practical conclusion,” the Minister Designate said.
He used the occasion to announce the launching of the Agenda slated for later November of this year, 2024.
The Finance Minister hopeful also stressed the generation of increased resources as an important factor he will be keen to address if confirmed.
He recommended that significant efforts be made to handle resource mobilization to align with the ARREST Agenda.
“We must focus on top priorities, and these must be pursued through robust and sustainable actions for economic growth,” he indicated.
He emphasized leveraging the potential of the energy sector by improving power generation capacity to increase access to electricity.
Ngafuan pointed out the need for the government to take a keen interest in the mining sector by allowing profitable growth to foster job creation and economic development.
He discussed the necessities associated with the mining sector, outlining the potential increase in domestic resource mobilization if handled carefully.
Regarding road construction, the Finance Minister Designate expressed optimism about economic growth if Liberia improves the maintenance of market-to-farm roads.
He simultaneously proposed that paving roads to connect all capital cities would be a genuine path to energizing Liberia’s economy.
