Partners Align on Seeds4Liberia Project Work Plan and Liberia’s National Agricultural Priorities at the Second Steering Committee Meeting

^{Representatives from implementing institutions posed alongside the project donor partner – the EU Delegation to Liberia (Photo Credit: George A. Harris, AfricaRice)}

The EU-funded Seeds4Liberia project concluded a one-day steering committee meeting with project implementing partners, beneficiary stakeholders—including the Farmers Union Network and the National Rice Federation of Liberia—and the donor partner, the European Union delegation to Liberia, to finalize an operational roadmap for the following year of implementation.  

Partners of the project converged at the Ministry of Agriculture, where the Minister of Agriculture, Dr. J. Alexander Nuetah, and the Head of the EU Delegation to Liberia, Nona Deprez, co-chaired the meeting. The meeting featured a review of previous minutes, presentations on the status of value chains, a discussion and validation of the 2025 progress report, and a review and approval of the 2026 work plan and budget, as the EU delegation and the Government of Liberia, through the Ministry of Agriculture, acknowledged the progress made.  

“I am glad that we can show results now, even though we started on a difficult path. I encourage you to keep this momentum and continue strengthening collaboration as we move forward with this project,” Said Nona Deprez, Head of EU Delegation to Liberia.  

Also responding, Minister Nuetah emphasized the importance of collaborative efforts in achieving project deliverables. “We would like to thank all of our implementing partners for the progress attained so far. I would also like to encourage everyone that we all do our best to keep each party abreast with activities in order to track project performances,” said Minister Nuetah. 

^{The second steering committee meeting ended with implementing partners (IPs) reflecting the project’s position toward Liberia’s National Agriculture Development Plan (Photo Credit: George A. Harris, AfricaRice)} 

The meeting concluded with approval of the project’s work plan for 2026. Other outcomes included agreement to expand both Liberica Coffee and the “Game Changer” cassava, with these crops being high priorities under the Government's National Agriculture Development Program (NADP). Additionally, the project's implementing partners reaffirmed their commitment to collaborative efforts, ensuring transparency throughout the project’s operational phases.  

About the EU-funded Seeds4Liberia Project 

The EU-funded Seeds4Liberia project, in partnership with the Liberian government, is a crucial initiative to boost Liberia’s seed systems, including soybean. It achieves this through demand-driven, structured, and regulated seed systems for soybeans and other key value chains, including rice, cassava, coffee, and fish. The project's collaboration with key institutions such as the Ministry of Agriculture (MoA), the Central Agricultural Research Institute (CARI), the National Fisheries and Aquaculture Authority (NaFAA), the Seed Development and Certification Agency (SDCA), and the Liberia Agricultural Commodity Regulatory Authority (LACRA) underscores its importance and support to national development frameworks for enhanced food and nutrition security and job creation in Liberia.