-Speaking for Finance Minister Ngafuan, Acting Deputy Minister Sarah Mulbah Says Education, Roads, Electricity and Healthcare Investments Are Central to Inclusive National Development
SALAYEA, Lofa County – The Government of Liberia has pledged to give due consideration to the expansion needs of Lofa County University while unveiling a sweeping package of infrastructure, education, healthcare and energy investments expected to transform the county under President Joseph Nyuma Boakai’s development agenda.
Representing Finance and Development Planning Minister Augustine Kpehe Ngafuan at the official opening of the Lofa County University Annex Campus on Sunday, Acting Deputy Minister for Budget and Development Planning Sarah M. Mulbah assured university authorities that the institution’s requests for additional facilities, staffing and infrastructure would be carefully reviewed during the government’s budgeting and planning process.
Delivering Minister Ngafuan’s keynote address, Mulbah described the establishment of the annex campus as a landmark achievement that will significantly expand access to higher education for young people in Zorzor, Salayea and surrounding communities while advancing the government’s decentralization agenda.
“It is a great honor to join you today on behalf of the Honorable Minister of Finance and Development Planning, Hon. Augustine Kpehe Ngafuan,” Mulbah said, noting that although the Finance Minister was unable to attend because of preparations for the launch of the Fiscal Year 2027 national budget process later this week, he considered the occasion important enough to ensure the Ministry’s representation.
She congratulated the leadership of Lofa County University for what she described as its vision, determination and commitment to expanding higher education, saying the transition of the former Change Agent Network University (CAN-U) into an annex of Lofa County University demonstrates a shared commitment to preserving educational opportunities while strengthening tertiary education in northern Liberia.
“The annex campus represents far more than additional classrooms,” she said. “It represents hope, opportunity and a stronger future for generations of Liberians.”
Mulbah emphasized that the new campus will allow more students to pursue university education closer to home, reducing financial barriers associated with traveling to Monrovia and other parts of the country for higher learning. She noted that decentralizing tertiary education remains a key pillar of the Boakai administration’s broader strategy to ensure equitable development across Liberia’s counties.
Government Promises Support
Responding directly to concerns raised by the university’s leadership, Mulbah acknowledged the institution’s immediate needs, including rehabilitation of facilities, additional academic infrastructure and staffing.
She assured administrators that the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning recognizes those priorities and will evaluate them during upcoming budget deliberations.
“We have carefully listened to the leadership of Lofa County University regarding the needs of this annex campus,” she said. “These are legitimate priorities that accompany the expansion of any higher learning institution. While Government must balance many competing national priorities within available fiscal resources, I wish to assure you that these concerns have been noted and will receive due consideration during our planning and budgeting processes.”
Mulbah added that expanding educational institutions outside Monrovia aligns with the government’s decentralization policy, arguing that no young Liberian should be denied higher education simply because of geography or financial constraints.
Education Spending Up Nearly 60 Percent
Highlighting the Boakai administration’s investment in education, Mulbah disclosed that public spending on the sector has increased dramatically over the past three fiscal years.
According to her, government investment in education has risen from approximately US$90.8 million in FY2023 to more than US$143.5 million in FY2026—an increase of nearly 60 percent.
She said the increased allocation reflects the government’s conviction that education remains the country’s most important long-term investment because it develops the human capital required to sustain national growth and economic transformation.
“Every national budget reflects the priorities of Government,” Mulbah said. “Investments in education strengthen institutions, improve governance, enhance productivity, and create the skilled workforce needed to drive sustainable economic growth.”
Multi-Million-Dollar Investments for Lofa
Beyond education, Mulbah used the occasion to announce major development projects that she said will reshape Lofa County over the coming months.
She disclosed that President Joseph Nyuma Boakai, accompanied by senior government officials and development partners from the Arab Coordination Group, will soon dedicate the 81-kilometer Gbarnga–Salayea Road Corridor while officially launching construction of the 56-kilometer Salayea–Konia and Zorzor–Yeala Road Project.
The Acting Deputy Minister said the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning has successfully mobilized US$73.8 million from the OPEC Fund, BADEA and the Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development to finance the upgrading of the Salayea–Konia and Zorzor–Yeala road corridors.
She further announced that the remaining 64-kilometer Konia–Voinjama Road will be financed by the Saudi Fund for Development, completing a major transportation network intended to improve mobility and stimulate economic activity throughout Lofa County.
“We are saying as a government that our intentions are clear—to connect Lofa,” Mulbah declared during her remarks, emphasizing that financing for the various road projects has already been secured and that construction is expected to commence during the upcoming dry season.
She said the road projects are expected to generate hundreds of short- and long-term jobs while improving access to markets, schools, health facilities and other essential public services.
Power and Healthcare Projects
Mulbah also announced that the government has secured an additional US$49.6 million from the Saudi Fund for Development to construct the Botota–Gbarnga–Zorzor Transmission Line and Substation Project, an investment expected to significantly expand electricity access across the region.
In the health sector, she disclosed that US$700,000 has been mobilized through BADEA to renovate, rehabilitate and equip the Salayea Clinic and Konia Health Center, strengthening healthcare delivery for communities along the road corridor.
According to Mulbah, these investments underscore President Boakai’s commitment to ensuring that development reaches every county through improvements in infrastructure, healthcare, electricity and education.
“Roads, electricity, healthcare and education are all essential pillars of inclusive national development,” she said. “However, among these, education remains the most powerful investment because it develops the human capital needed to sustain national progress.”
Budget Process Underway
Mulbah also revealed that Minister Ngafuan’s absence from the ceremony was due to the Ministry’s final preparations for the launch of the Fiscal Year 2027 National Budget Process, which she said is scheduled to begin this week.
The budget exercise, she noted, will guide the government’s spending priorities for the coming fiscal year, including continued investments in education, infrastructure and human capital development.
Concluding her remarks, Mulbah reaffirmed the Boakai administration’s commitment to building “a Liberia where every county has equal opportunities for development, where every young person has access to quality education, and where institutions like Lofa County University continue to serve as centers of knowledge, innovation and national transformation.”
For breaking news, in-depth analysis, and exclusive reports from Liberia and around the world, follow The Liberian Post on Facebook (https://web.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61576017166570) and X, formerly Twitter (https://x.com/LiberianPost).
