Wednesday, January 15, 2025 9:00 pm
Liberia’s President Boakai launching ARREST Program today in the Port City of Buchanan, Grand Bassa County, Liberia
Abubakar Hashim/ Buchanan, Liberia
President Joseph Boakai officially launched his Agriculture, Roads, Rule of Law, Education, Sanitation and Tourism (ARREST) program today at the second port city of Buchanan.
ARREST is the campaign slogan Boakai used to win the presidency on October 10, 2023.
With just a week away from his 1st anniversary in power, President Boakai, beaming with smiles, launched the ARREST document, amid a galaxy of audience, including virtually all cabinet ministers, diplomatic corps and international partners, including UN Resident Coordinator, Christine Umutomi.
Ambassador Bola Mohammed from the Nigerian Embassy in Liberia also graced the all-important occasion.
President Boakai revealed, “It is the first time Liberia chronicles a 15-county development plan, tagged ARREST Agenda for inclusive development AAID and the 15 County Development Agenda CDA.
ARREST is a road map to Liberia’s economic development, including a poverty reduction strategy, anchored on inclusivity, justice and equality.
ARREST also focuses on bolstering poor infrastructure and structural inequality
It is more than a policy plan as it addresses the collective aspirations of the Liberian people, with a strong commitment by the international partners to develop Liberia
Speaking earlier, Finance Minister, Augustine Ngafuan, gave a breathtaking breakdown of ARREST, stating that it is hinged on six pillars:
ARREST is an $8.3 billion program, with the Government of Liberia putting 30%, while 70% came from Development Partners
It is ultimately geared toward transforming Liberia into a middle-income country by 2030.
President Boakai, in a rare and exclusive interview with TheNEWS Magazine, he revealed: “ ARREST is Liberia’s path to economic emancipation from the near bankruptcy of the country”.
Today’s launch of the Boakai-led development plan is widely considered as not a policy paper that will gather dust on the shelves of government offices, but a thorough and people-oriented document, with active inputs and support by international development partners.
The recent Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) grant of $500 million to the Boakai administration, though it was a carryover of the end of the Weah government since it was for 2023 to 2024, the ARREST program has won the admiration of international partners, including the United States.
*Abubakar Hashim is the West Africa Bureau Chief of TheNEWS Magazine, presently in Liberia
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