Gbarnga, Bong County – Former Bong County District #5 Representative Edward Karfiah has strongly criticized Liberia’s Finance Minister, calling for his resignation if he cannot take bold actions to revitalize the country’s struggling economy.
Speaking recently on a local radio talk show in Gbarnga, the former House Committee Chair on Public Accounts and Expenditure said the Finance Minister lacks the risk-taking mentality required to stimulate meaningful economic growth. “The Finance Minister needs to bubble up,” Karfiah asserted. “If he cannot do the job, let him resign. The economy needs someone willing to take calculated risks and make bold moves to put money in people’s pockets.”
Karfiah emphasized that the role of the Finance Minister is more than balancing books or managing accounts. He described the position as central to steering national economic policy and ensuring the government actively invests in areas that directly benefit ordinary citizens.
“The Finance Minister is not just an accountant. He must be someone who stares at the economy and finds ways to stimulate it,” Karfiah added. “You spend money in the economy in various ways ~ through roads, agriculture, and especially the informal sector. That’s how people get income.”
He warned that if government spending is not strategically targeted toward job-creating sectors, the economy will stagnate. Karfiah argued that sectors like agriculture and rural infrastructure hold the key to widespread job creation and sustainable growth.
“You can’t just sit and look at the numbers in your bank account. The government is not a profit-making institution ~ it’s a welfare institution,” he said. “If you’re not spending in the economy, people cannot earn. We need to invest in areas where returns are measured not just in money, but in jobs and livelihoods.”
The former lawmaker singled out agriculture ~ particularly the cocoa, rubber, beans, and orange industries ~ as key comparative advantage sectors that can deliver both short- and long-term benefits.
“If you want short-term results, invest in beans,” he recommended. “But overall, agriculture offers the most efficient way to reach large numbers of people. You can put six million dollars into agriculture and impact tens of thousands, even hundreds of thousands.”
Karfiah also took a jab at what he described as the Finance Minister’s overly cautious approach, noting that successful economic leadership often involves risk-taking. “Every economist is a risk taker. You just need to assess the risk and take it. If you’re too scared to make a move, then leave the job for someone who will.”
The former representative ended with a call for intentional investment in Liberia’s strengths, including agro-processing and rural development, suggesting that long-term economic transformation depends on bold leadership, not conservatism.
Karfiah’s remarks have fueled ongoing debates over Liberia’s fiscal policies and the government’s approach to economic recovery amid growing public frustration over rising poverty and unemployment.
