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Claim: The former Representative, Acarous Moses Gray, has alleged on his official Facebook page that the government will likely leave behind a debt of $5.88bn in 2029 under its Arrest Agenda.
Verdict: Misleading! The government didn’t mention a figure for debt in its Arrest Agenda, nor did it confirm exiting power in 2029 with debt to the country.
Full Text
On January 15, 2025, the Government of Liberia, through President Joseph Boakai, officially launched the Arrest Agenda for Inclusive Development (AAID). The agenda is the Unity Party Administration’s work plan for the next five years (2025-2029). The AAID is a comprehensive framework designed by the government to address critical national issues in Liberia. The ceremony was hosted in Buchanan City, Grand Bassa County.
However, on January 16, 2025, Former Representative and member of the opposition Congress for Democratic Change (CDC), Acarous Moses Gray, took to his Facebook page claiming that the government, in its Arrest Agenda, confirmed a debt of $5.88 billion to the country when departing office in 2029.
Gray said in his post, “The Unity Party Government confirmed in their Arrest Agenda for Inclusive Development (AAID) that they will leave power in 2029 with a USD 5.88 billion debt.”
“Liberia is in a serious mess as they are ready to sell all our remaining resources,” Gray said.
The post generated 238 reactions, 371 comments, and eight shares at the time of this writing. The claim generated mixed reactions from the public and some users disagreed with Gray’s post in their comments, while others believed it.
Screenshot of some of the comments.
The mixed reactions from commentators led DUBAWA to initiate a fact-check.
Verification
DUBAWA conducted thorough research on the recently launched Arrest Agenda for Inclusive Development. Pillar 7 of AAID points to “Financing the Plan.” In this chapter, the agenda mentions the funds needed for its full implementation and outlines the measures the government intends to take to secure such funds.
The AAID projects an estimated total cost of USD$8.38 billion for 2025-2029. The government categorically distributed means of raising these funds to various sectors.
It indicates that the Government of Liberia will fund (US$2.5 billion, or 30%) while the remaining 70% will be provided by various development stakeholders, including the private sector (US$2.7 billion, representing 3596), grants as Official Development Assistance (ODA) and Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) activities (US$1.9 billion, or 25%), and Diaspora remittances (US$0.7 billion constituting 10%).
According to the work plan, funding for the AAID will require a multi-dimensional fiscal approach from the revenue, expenditure, and debt side.
The portion can be found on page 183 of the Agenda here.
A screenshot of the work plan.
Pillar 7.3, page 189, highlights Debt Management Measures. In this section, the AAID outlined mediums the government intends to borrow and fund its blueprint through the following means:
Concessional borrowing: Prioritisation of loans from multilateral institutions (e.g., World Bank, IMF, African Development Bank) and bilateral partners offering concessional terms with low interest rates, longer grace periods, and extended repayment periods. On the other hand, the operational approach of aligning new borrowing with AAID development drivers and filters to maximise the impact of the development will be adopted.
Pursue grants and debt relief: The Government will actively seek grants or partial debt forgiveness from international partners, especially for development priorities aligned with global goals (e.g., SDGs), while engaging in global debt relief initiatives, particularly for low-income and fragile economies.
No figure or line in this section indicates the Unity Party Government will turn over power in 2029 with a certain portion of the debt.
Conclusion
Our findings show that no portion of the Arrest Agenda for Inclusive Development (AAID) confirms that the Unity Party Government will exit power with a debt of USD 5.88 billion. The claim is, therefore, misleading.
