The Liberia Economic Policy Dialogue Activity (LEPDA) is USAID's four-year technical assistance, capacity development, and grants project that works with the Government of Liberia and Civil Society to foster self-reliance by spurring private sector-led economic expansion.

The objectives of LEPDA are:

  1. Establishment and implementation of a framework to promote reforms in specific areas, such as concessions, special economic zones, financial markets, trade facilitation/ports, import policies, etc. to improve the business climate, increase domestic revenues and support private sector development;
  2. Establishment and implementation of a Policy Unit Team (PUT) to support smaller policy units located within line GOL ministries and agencies to support the design, implementation, and evaluation of policies addressing private sector development and economic management; and
  3. Strengthening civil society organizations' capacity to conduct robust policy analysis as 'think-tanks' while increasing citizen participation and advocacy in the policy-making arena to be effective partners in the overall policy-making process.

Current Activities

  • Supporting the Government of Liberia to develop and implement policy on the Digital Economy and Access to Finance;
  • Assisting the Government of Liberia in the design and roll-out of the Liberia Special Economic Zones Authority;
  • Conducting a major study on Agricultural Concessions;
  • Funding a major regional collaborative research project on the Cocoa value chain;
  • Integrating gender equality and female empowerment into economic policy through research projects and developing the capacity of the government;
  • Providing expert advice to the Central Bank of Liberia on the implementation of monetary policy; and
  • Building the capacity of Government agencies on macroeconomic management and forecasting.

Accomplishment to Date

  • Assisted the Central Bank of Liberia (CBL) to manage the procurement, delivery, and distribution of L$4billion in new L$500 denominated banknotes into the Liberian economy. The process provided desperately needed liquidity for the Liberian economy, helped to restore confidence in the banking system and strengthened a key function of the CBL.
  • Prepared a feasibility study for the Buchanan Special Economic Zone (SEZ). After publication of the study, a GOL Steering Committee was convened to establish the SEZ and has accepted key recommendations of the study.
  • Launched a program for strengthening macroeconomic management by GOL. LEPA developed a set of financial models and tools for macroeconomic management and forecasting, supported by a set of training materials on macroeconomics, fiscal policy, and econometrics. LEPDA launched the roll-out process by introducing the first tool to the CBL.