National Food Assistance Agency To Expand Food Assistance Across Liberia Following Legalization
By: Feeme M. Wantee
Monrovia, Liberia – July 30, 2026 – The Director General of the National Food Assistance Agency (NFAA), Hon. Boakai A. M. Sirleaf, has confirmed the agency capacity to expand food assistance programs across Liberia following its legalization as a permanent government institution under the administration of President Joseph Nyuma Boakai.
Speaking at the Ministry of Information’s regular press briefing on Thursday, July 30, 2026, Sirleaf explained that although the agency has existed since the early 1970s, it previously operated through executive orders, but with President Boakai signing the National Food Assistance Agency Act into law last year, gave the institution a permanent legal mandate to operate independently.
According to him, the agency’s core responsibility is to coordinate food distribution to vulnerable populations while promoting school feeding programs to improve children’s health, attendance, and academic performances.
Sirleaf stressed that hunger remains one of the biggest obstacles to education, adding that children who attend school without breakfast or lunch are more likely to perform poorly in class. “We all know that students who go to school and do not have breakfast or lunch have a higher rate of failure. Many children struggle to learn because they lack adequate nutrition.
The Director General disclosed that since becoming a legally established agency, the NFAA has developed and secured approval for its 2026–2030 Strategic Plan, which was prepared with technical support from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
He revealed that through the support of the Government of Liberia and funding from the African Union, the agency has delivered food assistance to vulnerable communities in eight counties. According to Sirleaf, the outreach highlighted the severity of food insecurity in many households, where numerous children remain uncertain about where their next meal will come from.
Recalling one of the agency’s humanitarian visits, Sirleaf spoke about meeting two young girls who were born blind at the United Blind Association of Liberia in the LPRC, Gardnerville community, describing the experience as a reminder of the urgent need to strengthen food assistance programs for Liberia’s most vulnerable citizens.
He reaffirmed the agency’s commitment to expanding food distribution, strengthening school feeding initiatives, and working with national and international partners to reduce hunger and improve the lives of vulnerable Liberians.
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