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By Jamesetta D Williams
Monrovia-December 3, 2025: Finance and Development Planning Minster, Augustine Kpehe Ngafuan, has reaffirmed the government’s commitment to strengthening national efforts against HIV/AIDS, syphilis, and hepatitis B, even as the country grapples with increasing debt servicing obligations.
Minister Ngafuan made the statement on Monday during the official World AIDS Day commemoration held at the Capitol Building in Monrovia.
Addressing government officials, health stakeholders, and development partners, the minister emphasized that the Boakai-led administration has preserved support for the national HIV response despite fiscal shocks earlier in the year.
“We have some allocation in the budget for the fight against AIDS. We will continue to work to do more,” he said. Minister Ngafuan noted that the health, education, and agriculture sectors were among those severely affected by early-year disruptions but assured that the government is not resting and is working through the nail to keep essential social programs functional.
He described the progress made so far as evidence that ongoing public financial reforms are producing tangible results, adding saying, “Good news is on the way.”
The finance minister used the occasion to draw attention to Liberia’s growing public debt, which he noted is increasingly competing with priority sectors such as health and education.
According to Minister Ngafuan, in the country’s nearly US$2 billion national budget, the combined allocation for health and education stands at US$233 million while debt servicing alone accounts for US$210 million.
He reminded attendees that under the Public Financial Management Law, debt repayment remains the first charge on government revenue. “If government does not pay its debt, the banking system will be challenged and we will cause instability,” he warned, adding that failure to meet obligations could trigger sanctions from global financial institutions, including the World Bank.
While praising efforts made in combating HIV over the years, Minister Ngafuan urged the Ministry of Health and its partners to intensify their response to syphilis and particularly hepatitis B describing the latter as a major yet overlooked killer in Liberia.
“This is a triple thing here; stop HIV, stop syphilis, stop hepatitis B,” he stressed. “Our people are dying heavily because of this disease. It is one of the biggest killers in this country.”
The minister revealed that he personally knows more than ten individuals who died from hepatitis B within the past 18 months with many of the fatalities misclassified as other ailments. He pledged his personal support to the national response. “I personally will be opened and I will care for hepatitis B. We need to ramp up the effort. Somewhere, somehow, it slips from the radar.”
During the ceremony, members of the Legislature — including representatives from the House Committee on Health and the Office of the Senate Pro-Tempore — recommitted themselves to supporting the Ministry of Health in advancing national health priorities.
Several lawmakers declared that the Legislature remains “open and supportive” of public health initiatives, noting that “our people are dying” and urging a stronger and more coordinated approach to combating life-threatening diseases.