South Korea invests US$13 million in Liberian youth agriculture project

The Ministry of Agriculture in Liberia launched a project to create green jobs for 150 young people in Bong County.

This initiative serves as a pilot for a larger regional program running from 2026 to 2030 across Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Nigeria. The South Korean government provides US$13 million for the project through the Korea International Cooperation Agency, while the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations manages the implementation. Agriculture Minister J.

Alexander Nuetah stated that the project should be evaluated by the number of businesses it creates rather than the number of people it trains. He noted that previous programs provided skills but failed to give participants the startup capital needed to scale up. The new project aims to move young people from subsistence farming into agribusiness, processing, and digital innovation. It focuses on climate-resilient production and creating jobs across the entire agricultural value chain, including input distribution and processing.

Saeed Bancie of the Food and Agriculture Organization stated that the project addresses barriers such as limited access to land, finance, and modern technology. He emphasized that the initiative must provide young women with specific access to skills, leadership roles, and productive resources. Kim Eunsub of the Korea International Cooperation Agency noted that Liberia was the first of the three participating countries to sign the Record of Discussions to begin the work.