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World Food Programme
Liberia Country Office
Annual Country Report (ACR) 2023
Acknowledging the evolving developmental landscape, WFP has strategically aligned itself as a strategic ally for the Government in fostering nationally driven and sustainable solutions to hunger. Consequently, WFP’s initiatives in Liberia are designed to tackle food insecurity, stimulate local production, and foster the growth of comprehensive food systems nationwide.
In line with this, WFP’s Country Strategic Plan for Liberia proposes a gradual shift in focus. Moving away from the direct provision of relief assistance, WFP is now concentrating on enhancing the capacity of government agencies. This is achieved by providing support in managing food security and nutrition programmes, as well as emergency preparedness and response systems.
Despite this shift, WFP continues to uphold its leading role in emergency preparedness and response, ensuring a swift reaction to sudden shocks. This is facilitated through the implementation of a contingency plan that takes into account the country’s socio-political instability and climate-related risks.
In 2023, WFP joined forces with the Ministry of Education to launch a home-grown school feeding programme in Bong, Maryland, Montserrado, and Nimba counties. This initiative positively impacted 70,260 students across 289 public and community schools. The programme saw balanced participation from both genders, with 34,664 girls (49 percent) and 35,596 boys participating. Twenty-six percent of the food (700 mt) provided by the programme was sourced and procured locally. Locally produced commodities procured included 301 mt of rice, 210 mt of gari, 147 mt of beans and 42 mt of palm oil.
As part of the home-grown school feeding programme, WFP provided take-home rations to 2,855 primary school children (1,375 girls) through cash transfers via mobile money. This was a six percent increase compared with the 2,700 schoolchildren assisted in 2022. This support was designed to help students purchase textbooks and uniforms, easing financial burdens that may have prevented school attendance.
To bolster food security, nutrition, and income for smallholder farmers in Liberia and to enhance their resilience against seasonal shocks, WFP collaborated with its partners to implement an integrated food security programme across seven counties (Bong, Grand Bassa, Grand Cape Mount, Lofa, Maryland, Montserrado and Nimba) where people lacked regular access to safe and nutritious food. This benefitted 3,731 smallholder farmer households through the provision of value vouchers. These vouchers supported investments in assets and training and aimed to strengthen local production by facilitating better access to markets for the target group. This was achieved through the establishment of contracts with farmers' cooperatives, which served as central points for sourcing and aggregating locally grown commodities.
Smallholder farmers were, therefore, supported in several ways. Firstly, they redeemed food commodities from designated retailers via WFP's SCOPE platform [1]. WFP also built warehouses and multipurpose agribusiness centres in selected project communities to reduce post-harvest losses. Farming implements and agricultural equipment were also provided to help increase production. Prior to implementation, the capacities of retailers and farmers' cooperatives were assessed by WFP's Supply Chain division to ensure they could meet the demands of the programme and planned food requirements for the intended people in need.
WFP actively collaborated with the Liberian Government and other key United Nations agencies to organize a regional consultation aimed at the development of a post-harvest loss management strategy for the country. This aimed to support farmers employ methods that minimised losses and boosted agricultural yields.
In the healthcare sector, WFP partnered with the Ministry of Health to manage the central medical store. This project was funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) in 2023 and drew upon its expertise in logistics and supply chains. This partnership ensured the timely delivery, management, and distribution of medical supplies, even in remote areas. WFP also aimed to strengthen Liberian national capacities in medical logistics through the implementation of efficient supply chain procedures and robust data systems. These were focused on improvements to enhance stock visibility while enabling the four annual distribution cycles, as required.
WFP prioritised strong partnerships to ensure the success of its work in Liberia. These partnerships included national counterparts, development agencies, key stakeholders, regional institutions, and additional United Nations agencies. In 2023, WFP's operations aligned with the Government's Pro-Poor Agenda for Prosperity and Development, the United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework, and the strategies of development partners. Additionally, WFP integrated gender equality, protection, and accountability to affected communities into all activities throughout the year. WFP collaborated well with the Liberian Government and other partners, to advance gender equality and women's empowerment through joint projects, initiatives, and events.
In 2023, WFP’s Country Strategic Plan, which was initiated in 2019, was extended through 2026. This extension was designed to align with both the National Development Plan and the United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF), which has also been extended until December 2025. The CSP will persist in addressing challenges related to food security in Liberia through key activities that are integral to its four strategic outcomes. This aligns with Sustainable Development Goals 2 (Zero Hunger) and 17 (Partnerships for the Goals).