-Calls for Media Partnership in National Development
Greenbelt, Maryland, USA — Liberia’s Minister of Finance and Development Planning, Augustine Kpehe Ngafuan, has called on Liberian journalists at home and in the diaspora to play a constructive role in promoting private sector investment as the cornerstone of national development under President Joseph Nyuma Boakai’s administration.
Speaking Saturday at the 13th National Convention of the Association of Liberian Journalists in the Americas (ALJA), Minister Ngafuan emphasized that the media’s tone and narrative significantly shape investor perception, which in turn determines whether Liberia attracts or loses potential investments.
“The media could serve as an enabler or a disabler of private sector investment,” Ngafuan said. “Every negative, exaggerated, or misleading report about Liberia has consequences for the nation’s economy and its people.”
He explained that the Boakai administration’s ARREST Agenda for Inclusive Development (AAID) places the private sector at the heart of its strategy to achieve inclusive, sustainable growth. The agenda focuses on six key pillars — Agriculture, Roads, Rule of Law, Education, Sanitation and Health, and Tourism — all of which, he said, depend on a vibrant private sector.
Ngafuan urged journalists to balance accountability reporting with developmental journalism, noting that a “partnership mindset” between government, the private sector, and the media can accelerate national progress.
“Liberia’s media must go beyond highlighting government’s faults to also illuminating progress, success stories, and opportunities,” he said. “That’s how you attract investors, inspire citizens, and sustain hope.”
The Finance Minister also thanked ALJA members for their continued engagement with issues affecting Liberia and challenged them to use their platforms to change the global perception of Liberia as a place of instability and corruption.
“Our country’s narrative is still largely defined by war, poverty, and mismanagement,” Ngafuan said. “It’s time to change that. Journalists, especially those abroad, must help tell Liberia’s success stories.”
The ALJA convention, being held in Greenbelt, Maryland, brought together Liberian journalists from across the United States and Liberia to discuss media ethics, national development, and the role of the diaspora in shaping policy and governance.
