Mo Ali is Correct: IMF Forecasts 5.5% Growth Rate for Liberia

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In Summary:
  • Mo Ali, Director of Liberia Water and Sewer Corporation (LWSC) and also a stalwart of the governing Unity Party, has claimed that the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has projected Liberia’s economy to grow by 5.5% in 2026.
  • A review of the IMF’s June 2026 staff mission statement confirms the projection.
  • We conclude that Mr. Ali’s claim is correct.

On June 25, 2026, Mo Ali, head of the Liberia Water and Sewer Corporation (LWSC)  claimed that the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has projected a 5.5% growth rate for Liberia’s economy in 2026.


Report By: Annitta N. Kollie | LVL Fact Checker


Ali made the claim while arguing that the Unity Party-led government is performing well economically, despite what he suggested was a lack of acknowledgment from members of the opposition community.

The Claim

An excerpt of his post reads: “So IMF said we are doing well with the economy and that the economy will grow to 5.5% in 2026 and our men dem ain’t talk fwen [members of the opposition have not said anything about this progress].”


Mr. Ali made the claim on his Facebook page on June 25, attributing the projection in his post to the IMF

Rating Justification

To verify the claim, we reviewed the IMF’s latest assessment of Liberia’s economic performance.

In its recent staff mission statement, the IMF commended Liberia for maintaining macroeconomic stability and advancing key economic reforms. The Fund noted that economic activity remains strong, supported by continued growth in the mining, manufacturing, and construction sectors.

According to the statement, Liberia’s real GDP growth is projected to remain robust at 5.5% in 2026.


An International Monetary Fund (IMF) staff team, led by Mr. Daehaeng Kim, Mission Chief for Liberia, visited Monrovia from June 10 – 23, 2026 and issue a statement from which excerpt is above.

The IMF staff mission, led by Mr. Daehaeng Kim, Mission Chief for Liberia, visited Monrovia from June 10 to 23, 2026, to conduct the Fourth Review under the Extended Credit Facility (ECF) arrangement and the First Review under the Resilience and Sustainability Facility (RSF) arrangement.

The mission’s statement further noted that despite a recent increase in global fuel prices, inflation rose only modestly to 5.3% year-on-year in May 2026, up from 4.0% at the end of 2025. The IMF attributed this to the relatively low weight of fuel in Liberia’s Consumer Price Index basket and limited spillover effects, supported by a stable exchange rate.

Conclusion

Based on our review, we conclude that Mo Ali’s claim is correct. The IMF staff mission that concluded its visit to Liberia on June 23, 2026, projected that Liberia’s real GDP growth will reach 5.5% in 2026. According to the IMF, this growth is expected to be driven primarily by continued expansion in iron ore mining, alongside growth in the manufacturing and construction sectors.

 

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