Monrovia – Senator Amara Mohammed Konneh of Gbarpolu County has criticized U.S. President Donald Trump and billionaire Elon Musk for their “distorted and unfair” portrayal of Liberia’s relationship with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), calling for a full audit of the agency’s spending in the country.
Reacting to Trump’s recent address to Congress, where he highlighted the $1.5 million USAID spent on election monitoring in Liberia, Senator Konneh expressed concern that the narrative advanced by Trump and Musk misrepresents the true flow of U.S. aid to Liberia. “The impression being created is that these funds are handed over to the Liberian government to spend, but that is not the reality,” Konneh said. “U.S. assistance does not go through our national budget. It is controlled by American firms operating in Liberia, leaving the government with little oversight.”
Senator Konneh, a former Minister of Finance and Development Planning, emphasized that this misconception is damaging Liberia’s international image. “While we are grateful for American support, it is disingenuous to suggest Liberia is receiving extraordinary aid while ignoring the fact that much larger amounts go to countries with worse governance and human rights records,” he said.
Pointing to official U.S. government data, Konneh noted that Liberia received $159.8 million in USAID assistance in 2023—placing it 51st on the list of recipients. In contrast, nations such as Ethiopia, Somalia, and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) each received over $400 million despite ongoing reports of human rights abuses and weak governance. “Liberia, with all its challenges, ranks better on Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index than many of these countries. Yet we are the ones being publicly humiliated,” Konneh added.
Konneh recounted his efforts while in government to push for greater local control over aid implementation. “We fought to empower Liberians to lead development projects, but the Americans resisted, citing their laws. Despite this, we successfully negotiated a $500,000 reimbursement for the health sector under a program that was audited and deemed corruption-free,” he said.
The Gbarpolu County Senator urged the Executive Branch to engage the U.S. Embassy to demand greater accountability. “We cannot allow our nation to be scapegoated in U.S. domestic politics. If the Americans are serious about transparency, they should be willing to open their books on how USAID funds are spent in Liberia,” he asserted.
Senator Konneh warned that if left unchallenged, the narrative promoted by Trump and Musk could harm Liberia’s reputation and future international partnerships. “We are not a perfect nation, but we are striving to build a credible state. This public shaming is unfair and unwarranted,” he concluded.
