Liberia: FAO Trains Stakeholders on Responsible Investment in Agriculture

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, (FAO), has completed the conduct of the face-to-face component of the blended learning programme on “enhanced screening for responsible investment in agriculture and food systems” at the Farmington Hotel, Margibi County.

Investment screening is one of the policy mechanisms a government uses to pursue questions of viability of a proposed investment. A government does this by conducting due diligence on the prospective investor and investment to gather information and analyze whether the proposal will lead to a responsible investment in agriculture and food systems. 

The five-day workshop was held in two phases, with 15 government participants attending with 30 business representatives. 

Responsible investment does not occur in a vacuum, but requires a strong enabling environment that “sets the scene” by providing clear rules, processes, and mandates. 

Governments have the primary responsibility to provide such an enabling environment through the development or reform of policies, laws and incentives that promote, facilitate and regulate investments. 

Participants to the workshop are Liberian policy makers and technical government staff who constitute members of the Multi-Stakeholders Platform (MSP), from various ministries and agencies of the Liberian Government, as well as private sector actors in agricultural investment of Liberia.

The programme is aimed at strengthening capacities of state and non-state actors to apply the principles for responsible investment in agriculture and food systems. The principles were developed following an inclusive multi-stakeholder process in the UN Committee on World Food Security (CFS).

Speaking at the opening ceremony, FAO Representative in Liberia, Mariatou Njie, described the learning programme as another milestone in FAO’s efforts to enhance the capacities of members to promote more responsible investments; and that the initiative is part of a multi-year programme implemented with support from the Federal Republic of Germany.

Madam Njie said she was honored to open the face-to-face event which is a direct follow up to the learning programme “creating an enabling environment for responsible investment in agriculture and food systems”, organized last year by FAO.

“One of the three pillars of the Liberia National Action Plan developed as part of that program is to mainstream the CFS-RAI Principles into existing policies and processes,” she explained.