November 9, 2026 β Agriculture Minister Dr. J. Alexander Nuetah today launched the Green Jobs for Youth in Resilient Agrifood Systems project, calling on partners to help 150 young Liberians in Bong County turn training into lasting jobs and viable businesses.
The launch follows a US$1 million grant agreement signed on August 11, 2026, by the Ministry of Agriculture and the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) to expand opportunities for rural youth in Liberiaβs rice and cassava value chains. The Ministry and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) will implement the pilot as part of an approximately US$13 million regional initiative covering Liberia, Sierra Leone and Nigeria from 2026 to 2030.
βIf we target the youth, we are targeting the future of this country,β Minister Nuetah said. He called on young people to help shape the pilot and urged implementing partners to address the lack of start-up capital that keeps trained participants from putting their skills to work.
The Minister pointed to opportunities in production, produce aggregation and farm input distribution. βWhat opportunities can be provided there beyond training?β he asked, referring to young people interested in collecting produce from farmers for sale. He urged partners to consider what participants would need to start and expand their businesses. He also thanked the Republic of Korea for its support and called for prompt implementation.
KOICA Country Director for Liberia Kim Eunsub reaffirmed the agencyβs commitment to working with the Government of Liberia and FAO. He noted that Liberia was the first of the three participating countries to sign the Record of Discussions and urged the Project Steering Committee to clarify responsibilities and strengthen coordination and monitoring.
βWhile each country has its own priorities and context, we share a common goal to ensure that the youth can see agriculture and agri-business as viable pathways to decent work, innovation and economic growth,β Kim said.
For his part, FAO representative Saeed Abubakar Bansi called for young women to be at the center of the initiative, with equitable access to skills, finance, technology and markets. He said FAO stands ready to provide technical expertise in climate-smart agriculture, rural employment and agribusiness development.
βLet us ensure that when we look back on this initiative in the years ahead, we speak not simply about activities completed or people trained, but about green jobs created, businesses established, incomes improved and communities transformed,β Bansi said.
The Bong County pilot will give the Ministry a basis for deciding whether and how to expand the program. That decision will depend on where young people can earn a reliable income along the agricultural value chain and what support helps them put their training to work.
