The Joint Steering Committee of the Japan-Liberia KR Food Aid Program held a meeting at the Cecil Dennis hall at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on February 12, 2014 The meeting was focused on the progress of projects under the Japanese Grant. The KR Food Aid program is designed to help improve food security within Liberia from the proceeds received from sales of donated Japanese rice.

The meeting was attended by representatives of Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Finance, and the Japanese Embassy in Ghana who supervise the program for the Government of Japan.  Projects Highlighted in the meeting were the work of the MSMEs division at the Ministry of Commerce and industry, The construction of 2 Bridges in Cape Mount County and the construction of 5 warehouses around the country for storage of locally produced rice (which are products of the Japanese paddy rice project)

Present at the meeting was Hon. Florence Chenoweth, Minister of Agriculture (MoA), Hon. Cyril A. Allen II, Deputy Minister for Administration Ministry of Commerce and Industry (MOCI), Hon. B. Elias Shoniyin, Deputy Minister for International Economic Cooperation and Integration at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA), Hon. Jordan Solunteh, Deputy Minister for Administration at the Ministry of Finance (MoF) and the present distributors of the Japanese KR rice in Liberia: United Commodities, Inc.
(UCI), Fouta Corporation and Supply West Africa Trading Company.

The focal person on the Japanese Food Aid Project at the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Mr. Steve Flahn-Paye highlighted the positive pro poor impact of the Japanese KR Project on the Liberia. Mr. Paye provided updates on the amount received from the sales of the Japanese Rice and how the Counterpart Value Funds were disbursed to projects supported by the Liberian/Japanese Governments.

Speaking on behalf of the Government of Japan, the First Security at the Embassy of Japan (Accra), Dr. Yoshihiko Higuchi thanked the Liberian government and the private sector representatives and stressed the need for continual reporting on the implementation of projects by the Liberian government and suggested the need to select a focal person for each project under the program to ensure adequate follow up and Monitoring and Evaluation. Dr. Higuchi closed by reaffirming the Government of Japan’s commitment to continuing the project and continued support to the people of Liberia.