Liberia – Economic Gains Not Reaching Poors

Despite Liberia’s significant gains over the last decade, the benefits of the growth have not reached the country’s poorest and most vulnerable citizens, says World Bank Country Manager, Madam Inguna Dobraja.

Even with robust economic growth, Liberia cannot fully address the needs of vulnerable people without a clear, comprehensive social protection intervention, she said. The fact is, approximately 50,000 households in Liberia live in extreme poverty fuelled by lack of jobs, she said.

Her comments opened a three-day forum in Sinkor, Monrovia, to discuss the draft of a new social protection strategy and policy for Liberia. The Ministry of Planning and Economic Affairs organized the event – with the theme “Restoring human dignity and fostering cohesion” — at the Belle Casa Hotel.

“Inclusive growth is fundamental in addressing poverty in any post-conflict society,” Madam Dobraja said. “Liberia is no exception. An essential part of any social protection system is risk prevention. “Having a job that pays and provides an income source to a family is a risk prevention measure — it prevents the family from falling into poverty and making sure those children in that family will go to school and receive good health care. Jobs are also important for the entire region as they contribute to stability,” Madam Dobraja noted.

The World Bank Country Manager further noted that tackling the issue of jobs and employment is one of the major priorities of the government. According to her, “working together with the private sector and designing innovative ways to create jobs, especially for youth, will have to be an integral part of the social protection agenda in Liberia.”

She said the Social Safety Nets in Liberia represent just 1.5% of GDP. She stated that is not good enough. As a share of Gross Domestic Product (GDP), expenses on Liberian SSN are higher than the regional West African average, the World bank official further stated…

via allAfrica.com: Liberia’s Economic Gains Not Reaching Poor, Vulnerable Population.