U.S. celebrates Global Entrepreneurship with Liberian entrepreneurs
To celebrate Global Entrepreneurship Week 2021, USAID Deputy Mission Director Rebekah Eubanks and U.S. Embassy Monrovia staff joined a group of small- and medium business owners at SMART Liberia on the evening of November 10 for a networking club.
The United States is proud to be a key partner supporting Liberia’s economic growth, whether by supporting programs that improve the business climate, helping U.S. and international businesses find opportunities to invest in Liberia and its people or by supporting Liberian businesses through programs like the two $20 million credit facilities with the Liberia Enterprise Development Finance Company and International Bank.
Deputy Director Eubanks remarked during the event that the health of Liberia’s economy will depend on the ease of doing business in the country, especially for those starting a new venture. “The truth is,” Deputy Director Eubanks said, “the U.S. Embassy can only do so much. It will be the ingenuity and persistence of small business owners just like yourself that will lead to a strong Liberian economy. Our goal, like yours, is a prosperous and self-reliant Liberia.”
The U.S. Embassy assists entrepreneurship in Liberia in a number of ways. The Young African Leadership Initiative’s Mandela Washington Fellow program includes a special track just for promising young Liberians pursuing careers in business. Every year, we select Liberians with a demonstrated commitment to entrepreneurship on International Visitor Leadership Program projects to help them connect with other entrepreneurs in the United States and around the world. USAID is working to develop entrepreneurial skills for young farmers and supporting capacity development and access to finance for micro, small, and medium enterprises.
One example of a recent successful collaboration is between USAID, Liberian palm oil health and beauty product-maker J-Palm Liberia, and Ghanaian palm oil processer 8 Degrees North. A $1.1 million co-investment grant from USAID’s West Africa Trade & Investment Hub is expected to create 6,000 new jobs in Liberia and Ghana and generate $900,000 in sales for smallholder farmers thanks to new exports to the United States.https://thenewdawnliberia.com/the-usaid-sponsored-disputes-resolution-mechanism-is-commendable/
