CARI and National Stakeholders Endorse and Launch 2025–2030 Strategic Plan in Harmony with AAID to Drive Inclusive Growth
SUAKOKO, Bong County – The Central Agricultural Research Institute (CARI), in collaboration with national stakeholders, has officially validated and launched its 2025–2030 Strategic Plan, aligning it with the Government of Liberia’s Agenda for Inclusive Development (AAID).
The event brought together researchers and heads of CARI’s seven thematic programs and stakeholders, who reviewed both documents to identify synergies and ensure coherence with national priorities.
In his opening remarks, Dr. Arthur Bob Karnuah described the initiative as a unique undertaking, emphasizing the importance of linking CARI’s Strategic Plan with the AAID. “New governments come with new policies, and with this, what we do has to be aligned with the government’s,” he stated. He further underscored CARI’s readiness to fulfill its mandate in alignment with national development goals.
Additionally, Jobson A. Momo, Director General of the Seed Development Certification Agency (SDCA), emphasized CARI’s pivotal role in advancing the government’s ARREST Agenda. He stressed the need for the institute to focus on issues of agricultural production and productivity to meet the country’s pressing needs.
Meanwhile, Dr. Henrique Flomo Tokpa, Chairman of the Board of Directors, reaffirmed the government’s commitment under President Joseph Nyumah Boakai, noting that the alignment of CARI’s plan with AAID is part of broader efforts to transform Liberia. “At CARI, we have to step up our plate to ensure that this government succeeds. CARI is centrally located for the purpose of ensuring that what it does reaches across Liberia,” he said.
Dr. Tokpa also reflected on CARI’s evolution, recalling its early days as a government farm before being transformed into a research institute through support from the United States under the leadership of Dr. Baker.
The Board Chair, who launched the aligned and validated document on behalf of the his colleagues, urged the researchers to remain focused, cautioning that “you cannot achieve your plan in too much noise.”
Drawing from his more than 30 years in academia, Dr. Tokpa concluded by emphasizing the value of scientific innovation. He remarked that the satisfaction of achieving breakthroughs in research is far greater than simply generating new ideas, encouraging CARI’s researchers to pursue excellence in their work.
The strategic objective of the CARI Strategic Plan 2023-2030 is to develop and disseminate market-oriented technologies and innovations that are required by value chain operators to produce and market agricultural products to enable the country achieve its Rising Vision 2030.
The result areas to be achieved under the overall strategic objective include strengthening the institutional capacity of CARI and enhancing the research and development capacity for effective R&D, developing contextually relevant technologies and innovations, and ensuring effective dissemination of relevant information, technologies, and innovations.
The strategic goal of the national development plan (AAID 2025-2029) is to build a competitive, diversified, inclusive, and resilient economy that is private sector-driven for sustainable economic growth.
Similarly, the Government of Liberia’s strategic policy on agriculture and fisheries also seeks to leverage the sector to drive growth through private sector resilience and determination, enhance livelihoods, and promote sustainable development.
The thematic areas of intervention at CARI include crops, livestock and fisheries, postharvest and food processing, agricultural mechanization and irrigation, genetic resources and laboratory services, natural resource management, and socioeconomics and applied statistics.
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