–Vice President Says ‘Rescue’ Phase Is Over, Calls for Salary Reform, Support for Vulnerable Groups and Stronger Anti-Drug Fight
MONROVIA, LIBERIA — Vice President Jeremiah Kpan Koung has challenged the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning (MFDP) to help drive Liberia into a new phase of economic restructuring, urging the Ministry to prioritize salary reform, support vulnerable groups and strengthen the government’s fight against illicit drugs as it prepares the 2027 national budget.
Koung made the call Monday, August 17, during a working visit to the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning, where he commended Finance Minister Augustine Kpehe Ngafuan and the Ministry’s senior management and technical staff for their work in managing the government’s finances and keeping public-sector salaries current.
The Vice President said the government’s first three years were largely about rescuing Liberia from difficult economic circumstances, but argued that the country has now reached a point where the emphasis must shift toward restructuring and fixing the underlying economic system.
“The process of rescue is over, the boat is on shore now. What we need to do now is to get it ready and fix it,” Koung said.
From Rescue to Restructuring
Koung said the restructuring agenda must reach beyond government institutions and address ordinary Liberians whose livelihoods depend on the broader economy.
He specifically cited salary reform, saying government must examine public-sector compensation and determine how salaries can be improved within the limits of the national budget.
The Vice President also called for greater attention to market women, small businesses and the motorcycle transport sector, describing them as major economic actors who are sometimes overlooked in national policy discussions.
He argued that motorcycle operators, in particular, provide an essential service in parts of Liberia where poor road infrastructure limits access to conventional transportation.
“In the interior, when women are pregnant, sometimes there are no roads and other places, it’s the motorcyclists that move them,” Koung said, stressing the need for government to pay greater attention to the sector.
The comments suggest that the Vice President wants the restructuring agenda to incorporate sectors that directly affect household income, mobility and access to essential services.
‘We Are at War With Drugs’
But the strongest directive from the Vice President concerned the government’s campaign against illicit drugs.
Koung reminded Minister Ngafuan that President Joseph Nyuma Boakai, Sr. has declared a war on drugs and urged the Finance Ministry to ensure that the national budget provides adequate resources to strengthen the government’s drug-enforcement capacity.
“We are at war with drugs. The President declared war on drugs. As you do your budget, don’t forget DEA,” Koung told Ngafuan.
He said the relevant enforcement institution must be adequately supported to make the government’s anti-drug campaign effective.
“Let DEA be strong to go to war and fight,” the Vice President added.
The remarks place the fight against drug trafficking and abuse directly within the government’s fiscal and budgetary priorities, suggesting that the administration sees enforcement capacity and financial resources as critical components of its broader drug-control strategy.
2027 Budget Takes Center Stage
Koung’s intervention comes as MFDP has already begun preparations for Liberia’s 2027 national budget.
Ngafuan told the Vice President that the budget preparation process was launched in mid-July, with the government required by law to submit the new budget by October 31.
The Ministry has begun a series of pre-engagements with major sectors, including security, education, energy and gender, to identify existing challenges and determine the resources required to address them.
Ngafuan said the Ministry planned a detailed engagement with the security sector, including the Attorney General, Ministry of Justice, Liberia National Police, Liberia Drug Enforcement Agency and Liberia National Fire Service, as part of the preparation process.
“We’ll do what we call a deep dive in the issues, understand the concerns, look at the present issues and get prepared for 2027,” Ngafuan said.
The approach reflects an effort to develop the next budget around sector-specific needs rather than relying solely on traditional budget submissions.
Koung Praises Salary Progress
The Vice President also singled out the Ministry’s management of government salaries for particular praise.
Koung said salary payments had become sufficiently regular that one government employee recently complained to him that a salary payment had arrived earlier than expected.
The comment was intended to illustrate the progress made in regularizing the government payroll and ensuring that employees receive their salaries within predictable periods.
Koung described MFDP as one of the government’s most heavily burdened ministries, noting that virtually every sector depends on the Ministry for financial and budgetary decisions.
He praised Ngafuan and his team for managing those competing demands.
“I want to thank you for the leadership,” Koung told Ngafuan.
He also thanked the Ministry’s deputies, assistant ministers and technical personnel for what he described as the difficult work taking place behind the scenes.
Inclusive Growth at Center of Reset
The Vice President’s message ultimately pointed toward an economic restructuring agenda that reaches beyond macroeconomic indicators.
He called for policies that improve the welfare of ordinary workers, support small economic actors and recognize sectors that provide essential services despite operating outside the formal economy.
The emphasis on market women, small businesses and motorcycle operators suggests that the government wants its economic restructuring program to have a visible impact at the community level.
At the same time, the call for stronger drug enforcement indicates that the administration views public safety and the fight against illicit drugs as inseparable from national development.
MFDP Faces Heavy Budget Demands
For Ngafuan and the MFDP team, those expectations come as the Ministry manages an increasingly crowded 2027 budget agenda.
In addition to security, the Ministry plans engagements with the Liberia Electricity Corporation on energy-sector priorities, the education sector and the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection.
Ngafuan said the Ministry intends to use the consultations to identify challenges, determine government interventions and prepare the financial framework for the coming fiscal year.
The Finance Minister’s approach is consistent with the administration’s broader emphasis on evidence-based planning and stronger coordination among government institutions.
A New Phase for Boakai Administration
Koung’s visit therefore carried significance beyond a routine courtesy call.
It offered the Vice President an opportunity to publicly recognize MFDP’s work while simultaneously setting out expectations for the next stage of the government’s economic program.
The administration’s message is that the initial rescue operation has given way to a more demanding task: restructuring the economy, improving incomes, supporting vulnerable economic groups, strengthening essential sectors and ensuring that the government has the resources to confront major national threats.
And as the 2027 budget takes shape, Koung’s message to MFDP is clear—the numbers must reflect the government’s priorities.
“We need to do more,” he told the Ministry.
The question now is how much of that ambition will find its way into the 2027 budget and, ultimately, into the daily lives of Liberians.
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