GANTA, NIMBA COUNTY – The Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC), in partnership with the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning, is hosting a Root Cause Analysis Workshop on the energy sector in Gompa, Nimba County.
This is the second workshop of its kind. Representatives from ministries, the Liberia Electricity Corporation (LEC), regulators, private sector actors, development partners, and civil society are all in attendance.
Acting MCC Liberia Team Lead Carolyn Wetzel Chen opened the event Tuesday. She said the discussions target the root causes of one of Liberia’s most binding constraints to economic growth: energy.
“The evidence we bring to this room, the discussions we will have, and the decisions that are made to define and prioritize the root causes of this binding constraint will make history,” she said.
Ms. Chen outlined the timeline: compact development in 2027 to 2028, signing in 2028, and implementation from 2029 to 2035. She also noted that in July 2025, President Boakai met with U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House and reaffirmed Liberia’s commitment to partnering with the United States.
Assistant Minister for Economic Policy Hon. Henry D.Z. Yanquoi represented the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning. He said the workshop goes beyond identifying constraints; it examines why they exist and persist.
Liberia’s MCC partnership began in 2015 with a $257 million compact that rehabilitated the Mount Coffee Hydropower Plant, supported road maintenance, and strengthened institutions. Implemented from 2016 to 2021, it significantly increased domestic power generation capacity.
In 2024, under President Joseph Nyuma Boakai, Sr., Liberia was selected to develop a second compact. The focus is on the energy sector to drive inclusive growth and reduce poverty.
