Summary:
- President Joseph Boakai claimed at the ongoing World Food Forum in Italy that Liberia’s agricultural sector contributes 28.9% of the country’s GDP and supports the livelihoods of over 68% of the population.
- We have read through multiple reports and found that while agriculture contributes to Liberia’s GDP, the percentage mentioned by President Boakai slightly varies from other data sources – it ranges from 25 to 29.7%.
- However, the claim that agriculture provides livelihoods to nearly 70% of the population is accurate.
- We conclude that President Boakai’s assertions about the agriculture sector are mostly correct.
President Joseph Boakai claimed at the World Food Forum (WFF) held in Italy that Liberia’s agricultural sector accounts for 28.9% of Liberia’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and that the sector provides a livelihood for over 68% of the population.
The Liberian leader made the claim on October 14, while delivering the keynote address at the forum with an audience of heads of state, development leaders, and international organizations.
Launched in 2021 by the Youth Committee of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, the WFF serves as the premier global platform to actively shape agrifood systems for a better food future, to accelerate the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The 2024 event leverages the power of intergenerational collaboration, as well as partnerships and action across policy, science, innovation, education, culture, and investment.
Claim #1:
“Liberia’s agricultural sector is vital to the country’s economy, accounting for 28.9% of our Gross Domestic Product.”
Rating Justification
To verify this claim, we reviewed the 2023 Annual Report of the Central Bank of Liberia. This report, among other things, highlights the state of the economy, including developments in the financial sector, monetary sector, financial markets operations, fiscal sector, and external sector.
A review of page 34 of the report shows that the agriculture & fisheries sectors accounted for 28.6% of the country’s GDP in 2023.
We also viewed a 2022 report on Liberia’s agricultural sector by the International Trade Administration, a U.S.-based organization that provides actionable data and information for global markets. The report shows that agriculture, including fisheries, accounts for 29.7% of Liberia’s real GDP.
These two reports (CBL & International Trade) have validated Mr. Boakai’s claim about the Agricultural sector’s contribution to GDP being 28.9% as mostly correct.
Claim #2:
Agriculture provides “livelihood for over 68% of our population.”
Rating Justification
To verify this claim, we reviewed the current National Agricultural Development Plan by the Ministry of Agriculture titled “Liberians Feed Yourselves Agenda”. A careful review of the document revealed that, “Agriculture is the primary economic sector in the country, providing livelihood for more than 68% of the population.”
Meanwhile, a 2022 report by the World Bank titled, Improving Agricultural Service Delivery in Liberia, unveiled that Agricultural production in Liberia constitutes the most important source of livelihood for the average Liberian, involving more than 70 percent of the population.
These two findings also validate Boakai’s claim of more than 68% of the population relying on Agriculture for livelihood.
Conclusion
Based on our findings, we conclude that the claims made by President Boakai at the World Food Forum that Liberia’s agricultural sector accounts for 28.9% of its GDP and provides a livelihood for over 68% of the population is mostly correct.
Multiple credible reports confirms that while the GDP contribution varies slightly between sources (ranging from 25-29.7%), the claim about agriculture providing livelihoods to over 68% of the population is correct.
