On December 17, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), through its flagship programme, Accelerated Community Development Programme (ACDP), co-funded by the Government of Liberia and UNDP, handed over sixteen (16) YAMAHA motorbikes and thirty-two (32) helmets worth $56.000.00 United States dollars to the Ministry of Agriculture (MOA) at the EJS Ministerial Complex in Congo Town, Monrovia. 

The motorbikes will strengthen the logistical capacity of the MOA's field-based extension staff, who will regularly monitor farming cooperatives and provide technical support in areas such as land preparation, planting, and harvesting, in ACDP-supported agriculture communities and individual farmers outside of ACDP project communities. 

Acknowledging UNDP’s support to the Ministry, present to receive the motorbikes, the Deputy Minister for Technical Services, Solomon Hedd-Williams thanked UNDP for the unwavering support noting that the motorbikes will be used for its intended purpose. He added that this initiative aligns well with the ministry’s national agriculture development plan. 

Speaking at the handover, the UNDP Deputy Resident Representative for Programme Louis Kuukpen noted that agriculture needs to be seen beyond substantial farming to commercial investment. 

“When farmers are empowered through training and given modern farming equipment and tools to do mechanized farming, they will produce more food, feed themselves while at the same time selling the surpluses to earn money for their pockets, thereby reducing poverty,” Kuukpen said.

He noted that the sixteen (16) Yamaha Motorcycles and thirty-two (32) helmets will help strengthen the logistical capacity of the ministry’s extension staff who are expected to provide technical support to farmers and cooperatives across Liberia, especially in ACDP-supported communities.

The donation of the motorbikes signifies UNDP’s commitment to ensuring that the Government of Liberia’s ARREST Agenda for inclusive development immediately impact the people through investment in the agriculture sector. 

ACDP is an initiative of the Government of Liberia launched in October 2022 to address the real and pressing needs of Liberia’s most vulnerable rural populations. Its primary goal is to reduce or eliminate poverty and inequality amongst rural poor populations by investing in agriculture, water, sanitation and hygiene, energy services, health, education, and infrastructure.

The five-year programme, which is put at one hundred million United States dollars for the first three years 20222-2025, is implemented by UNDP and is expected to have an immediate impact on reducing poverty while accelerating socio-economic development in rural communities. 

 The programme also aims to help strengthen human capital and resilience to shocks and pandemics, as well as facilitate the implementation of the new national development plan (AAID) to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) by 2030.

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