MONROVIA – Dr. Layli Maparyan, President of the University of Liberia (UL), has commended Finance Minister Augustine Kpehe Ngafuan for his swift and decisive action in providing US$550,000 in emergency funding to the institution, a move she says has helped sustain critical university operations.
Speaking before the National Budget Committee, Dr. Maparyan said, “For the conversation that we’re going to have about the University of Liberia today, I also want to thank you for the recent income of $550,000 that you have channeled to the University of Liberia. Since my arrival in January, the relationship between the University and the Ministry of Finance has been strong and supportive.”
She further praised Minister Ngafuan for guiding her administration through the complexities of budget management, noting the broader impact of UL on national development. “Every single one of the burdens you tote has a department or program at the University of Liberia where people are being trained to lead, where people are being trained to be helpful and contribute to national development, to gain expertise, skills, and knowledge that will lift the country up,” she said.
On September 14, 2025, this outlet broke the news of the remittance of the US$550K to the UL. This was confirmed on Thursday, September 18, when Dr. Maparyan and her team of technicians appeared before the Budget Committee.
Speaking further, she highlighted the importance of diversifying revenue streams for UL while acknowledging the Ministry’s critical support. “We have extreme gratitude for the funding that’s provided to us by the government of Liberia and its generosity in supporting the bulk of our activities,” she remarked.
She also outlined her administration’s strategic approach, emphasizing the development of faculty, students, staff, and infrastructure to make UL attractive to donors and investors. “If we want to make the nation’s flagship university be all it can be and deliver on its promise to national development, that we have to continue to develop its faculty, its students, its staff, its infrastructure, and its relationship with the general public,” Dr. Maparyan explained.
The emergency funding, she noted, has been pivotal in maintaining essential services and academic standards, while allowing UL to pursue long-term strategic goals.“I want to thank you, particularly as a new president, for guiding me through the complexities of the budget and the related things to support the University of Liberia,” she concluded, underscoring Minister Ngafuan’s role in strengthening UL’s financial stability.
