MFDP Warns against ‘Fake’ US$37.8M Stimulus Package

Deputy Finance Minister for Economic Management, J. Augustus Flomo, has clarified that purported information trending on social media about a US$37.8 million stimulus package being processed by the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning (MFDP) for businesses is false and misleading.

Deputy Finance Minister Flomo made the clarification on behalf of the Government of Liberia on Monday, August 23, 2021, during a press conference in Monrovia. Recently, information circulating on social media, purportedly bearing the name of the Ministry, encouraged local business owners in the country to fill in a form to benefit from the purported US$37.8 million for the stimulus package. 

Deputy Minister Flomo, in his remarks, described the act as criminal under the law. According to him, this is becoming a habit for some dishonest individuals to distract the Government of Liberia through the Ministry from its workings in the country.  He further noted that the Ministry is seriously concerned about the act, adding that the alleged perpetrators are currently gathering unauthorized data from people under the pretense of a link with the Ministry. 

He added the national government, through the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning, does not want people to do  things that will be to the detriment of the ordinary citizens, terming the act as a distraction from people who do not want the government to succeed in its activities to better the lives of its people.

The Deputy Minister stated that the issue of fake information being posted is becoming a pattern of groups or individuals who are interested in creating confusion by distracting the public from the good work that the government does.

‘’We did that on our official website page and we have placed it on our MFDP website, which represents the Ministry of Finance and the government of Liberia. For instance, sometime in May of last year, we talked about a stimulus package, and that was worked on by the government to support small business people, and the market women, for example,” he said.

The Deputy Finance Minister also revealed that during the COVID-19 period, the President proposed to the Legislature through the budget for allocation to support the small business and market people that were affected by COVID 19. He added that during that process, the pronouncement gained momentum and the government was able to raise additional resources from partners, which included up to twelve million in funding by the US government to support the small business people.

“So, that resource was public and we had a big press conference and, as we speak, that disbursement is ongoing for those small business and market women who got affected by the COVID-19 situation,” he added.

However, the MFDP has issued a firm warning to groups or individuals engaged in spreading fake information to immediately desist or face the full weight of the law when caught. The Deputy Minister called on the public to verify and authenticate any information of such kind with the Communication Unit of the Ministry.