After fourteen years of civil war that left devastating effects on both the environment and people of Liberia, the country seems to finally be on the path to development. It has only been a year since Ellen Johnson Sirleaf was elected as the first woman Liberian (and African!) president but already significant improvements are evident within the country. A meeting in Washington D.C. this week will bring together both President Johnson Sirleaf and members of the World Bank, IMF, UN and others to examine Liberia's progress and prospects for recovery and growth. In addition to finding solutions to the US$3.7 billion debt, this forum intends to secure international approval and support for the country’s reconstruction and development strategy, and explore new funding possibilities.
While Liberia's past has left the nation in deplorable conditions, President Johnson Sirleaf government has been successful in increasing exports, restoring clean water and electricity, and instituting economic reforms that have increased government revenues by fifty percent. Additionally, the economy grew at a rate of eight percent with expectations for it to continue at this rate. The Liberian Manager for the World Bank, Luigi Giovine, believes that this evidence proves that Liberia is committed to change and is worthy of support. It appears that since President Johnson Sirleaf has been at the forefront of the Liberian government the nation has seen nothing but progress, deeming it worthy of international support. Is Liberia on its way to becoming the new African success story? Is one year of progress enough to ensure that Liberia is indeed on the right path?
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I read this blog about two months ago and was very skeptical about Liberia being a "success story in Africa." Today, after finishing my Country Development Report, I have a different opinion. President Johnson-Sirleaf is the best thing for Liberia at this time. Her ability to both appeal to the international community (for debt relief) and connect with individual Liberians is unheard of in Africa. I agree with the article that Liberia does deserve debt relief because: 1) Liberians did not benefit from the funds they are now indebted and 2) they have shown great progress in restoring the country. Donors continually make the pledge for debt release although it is rarely translated into real cancellation. This meeting in February was an extremely significant event for Liberia as well as the international community. I am confident that President Johnson-Sirleaf will use the money not being used to pay off debt to positively develop the country.
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