15/12/2025
Distinguished government officials, traditional leaders, development partners, civil society colleagues, farmers, women and youth innovators, agropreneurs and fellow Liberians,
Today and Tomorrow, hundreds of young people will attend the National People’s Climate Justice Summit 2025 (NPCJS)
Theme: Just Transition; Scaling Agroecology, Clean Energy, People-Driven Climate Finance and Sustainable Solutions for Liberia
With slogan: Let’s Act Now
We gather at a defining moment for our country, a moment that demands honesty about our challenges and courage in the choices we must make.
As former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said, “Climate change is not just an environmental issue; it is a human issue.” In Liberia, this reality is no longer theoretical.
The recent floods in southeastern counties, combined with unpredictable rainfall, have displaced families, destroyed farmlands, and disrupted livelihoods. At the same time, other parts of our country face drought, reducing crop yields and threatening food security. Along our coasts, rising sea levels and coastal erosion are washing away homes, beaches, and fertile lands. For many farming and fishing households, these are not abstract threats they are the loss of food, income, and security. These events remind us that climate justice is urgent and that delay carries a real human cost.
A just transition must begin where climate impacts are felt most in our communities, in agriculture, and in the livelihoods of our youth and women. Agriculture contributes approximately 38% of Liberia’s GDP, with youth making up over 60% of the population and women representing more than 50% of active agricultural laborers. Any climate solution that weakens this foundation cannot be just.
This is why agroecology must sit at the center of Liberia’s climate response. Agroecology restores soil health, improves water management, protects biodiversity, and strengthens farmers’ resilience to floods, droughts, and changing seasons. Importantly, it builds on indigenous knowledge while embracing innovation. Agroecology aligns with the ARREST Agenda, advances Liberia’s NDC 3.0, supports the Liberia Feed Yourself Program under the National Agriculture Development Plan, and reflects the spirit of the Paris Agreement, which calls for climate action that safeguards livelihoods and food systems.
But resilience alone is not enough. Climate justice must also create opportunity. This is where agropreneurship becomes critical. Agropreneurship transforms agriculture from subsistence into enterprise, creating value through processing, storage, packaging, branding, and access to markets. It opens doors for young people and women to see agriculture not as a last option, but as a viable and dignified career. As Kofi Annan reminded us, “No country has ever achieved rapid growth without transforming its agricultural sector.”
Across Liberia, this transformation is already taking shape. At the National Agriculture Fair in Ganta, Nimba County just last week, women and youth showcased Liberian Rice, Cassava products, Spices, Palm oil, Vegetables, and other value-added foods. The Liberian MSME Conference in Monrovia, women-led and youth-led agribusinesses demonstrated innovation in processing, packaging, and market development. And here today at the National People’s Climate Justice Summit, we continue to witness community-driven solutions proving that Liberians are not waiting for change they are already building it.
A just transition must also address clean energy and people-driven climate finance. Renewable energy solutions power agro-processing, irrigation, cold storage, healthcare, and small enterprises, while reducing pressure on our forests. Climate finance must reach communities on the frontlines, with transparency, inclusivity, and accountability. We recognize the critical advocacy of Actionaid Liberia and other civil society partners in this effort.
As environmental leader Wangari Maathai once said, “You cannot protect the environment unless you empower people.” Empowerment must form the foundation of Liberia’s climate response.
The floods, droughts, and coastal erosion across Liberia are warnings, but they are also calls to act with urgency, fairness, and resolve. Liberia has the land, the knowledge, and the people to build a climate-resilient and inclusive economy. What is required now is decisive action.
Mindway Liberia joined ActionAid Liberia to say
Let’s act now:
- Act with urgency.
- Act with fairness.
- Act to scale agroecology.
- Act to unlock agropreneurship.
Act to expand clean energy and people-driven climate finance.
I close with a statement that reflects the conviction of MindWay-Liberia:
Climate justice for Liberia will not be imported, postponed, or negotiated away. It will be built by Liberians, on Liberian soil, through awakened minds and working hands.
At MindWay-Liberia: We Inspire, You Lead.
Happy National People’s Climate Justice Summit 2025
Thank you.
Lincoln MK Valliah
Executive Director
MindWay-Liberia
0770473664/0880471152
[email protected]
