Monrovia – Sister Aid Liberia (SALI) has convened a one-day National Multi-Stakeholder Dialogue on Women’s Access to Affordable Healthcare, Agriculture, Finance and Trade Opportunities, bringing together government officials, political leaders, development partners, and women from across Liberia to discuss challenges affecting women’s empowerment and economic advancement.
By J.H. Webster Clayeh
The event, organized by Sister Aid Liberia with support from the Netherlands Institute for Multiparty Democracy (NIMD) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), brought together Agriculture Minister J. Alexander Nuetah, Unity Party Chairman Rev. Luther Tarpeh, representatives of the European Union, and women leaders from across the country.
Speaking during the opening ceremony, Sister Aid Liberia Founder and Executive Director, Miatta Garmai Darwolor, said the dialogue was intended to advance women’s political and civic participation while identifying practical policy measures to address barriers confronting women.
“A nationwide consultation carried out by our sponsor, the Netherlands Institute for Multiparty Democracy, revealed a glaring disconnect between political messaging and the everyday realities of our women,” Madam Darwolor said.
According to her, the consultation identified several urgent challenges, including limited access to affordable and quality healthcare, particularly maternal and reproductive healthcare services.
She also highlighted poor and unreliable rural roads that continue to cut communities off from essential markets, services, and economic opportunities.
Madam Darwolor further pointed to disparities within the agricultural sector, including low productivity and inadequate support for small-scale farmers, which she said undermine rural livelihoods and food security.
She noted that the dialogue was supported by the Netherlands Institute for Multiparty Democracy (NIMD) through funding from the European Union and the Governments of Ireland and Sweden.
Providing perspective from the agricultural sector, Nyamah Dunbar, founder of SANKOFA Farm in Bong County, called for greater support and incentives for agricultural businesses.
“Agriculture taxes should be low in Liberia. We need to have those training opportunities. People are ready and even people are back to the soil. But the losses are too much,” she said.
Madam Dunbar emphasized the importance of food self-sufficiency in national development.
She furthers: “A country will never say it is developed when it does not feed itself. The Liberian agriculture sector is working whether government helps us or not; we are here to stay.”
Addressing challenges faced by women engaged in cross-border trade, Saybah Fomba, Montserrado County Chapter Leader of the Association of Women in Cross-Border Trade (AWICBT), identified access to finance as a major obstacle.
“We can struggle to get the money, you and the loan officer will share the money. Also the high interest rates too,” Fomba said.
She also highlighted cultural and language barriers that women traders encounter while conducting business across borders.
“The culture and language are different. If you go for the pepper in Mali, we will not enter the village; we will give our money to someone to buy for us. Sometimes the person can run away with our money or can bring us bad goods,” Madam Fomba said.
She added: “If Liberia is good in the agriculture sector, the same thing we can get from Ivory Coast we can grow it here in Liberia.”
Madam Fomba further pointed to telecommunications challenges facing traders.
Madam Fomba said: “We also face network problems. We have to buy a SIM card in every country we enter to make calls.”
She also raised concerns about security risks encountered during cross-border trade.
“Security risks like harassment from security personnel and even criminals. Our goods can even get missing. We are asking Sister Aid to help us,” Madam Fomba said.
Responding to the concerns raised, Agriculture Minister J. Alexander Nuetah said meaningful progress in the agricultural sector would be impossible without the empowerment of women, a goal he said aligns with President Joseph Boakai’s vision.
According to Minister Nuetah, women continue to drive progress and achievement within the agricultural sector.
“We have done agriculture using cutlasses and hoes, and that is hard for the women. The government is committed to ensuring that our farmers are supported by giving grants to them,” Minister Nuetah said.
He added: “We will try our best to strengthen and skill up our workforce in the agriculture sector because of 900 farmers, over 700 of them are women. Farm-to-market roads are a challenge to women. We want them to produce their commodities and take them to the market.”
The Agriculture Minister disclosed that the Ministry of Agriculture will work closely with the Ministry of Public Works to improve feeder roads across the country.
“All of our projects that will be coming up in the future will have the component of feeder roads. We will partner with the Ministry of Public Works,” he said.
Addressing concerns over access to financing, Minister Nuetah stressed the need for financial institutions that understand the unique risks associated with agricultural lending.
He said: “I know what people go through with access to finance. Agriculture loans are different from all other loans. Unless we have a tailored institution that understands the risks associated with agriculture, we will not go anywhere.”
The Minister also urged farmers to make better use of government support programs.
“Our farmers themselves need to be serious. You give them support this year, then they want you to give them support again next year; that is not good. We recruited farmers and gave them money, and they ate the money,” he said.
He concluded by calling for a business-oriented approach to agriculture and greater collaboration among stakeholders.
He furthered: “Agriculture will not work until we take it as a business and do it earnestly. Government will support you, but not always. We want to grow chili peppers for export too. We all need to have a conversation to make agriculture work for all of us. I want to see Sister Aid working with the women. We want to see the problems so that we can find the solutions. We need to make agriculture sexy and depend on the women and the youths.”
