By: Julius Konton
In a significant step toward advancing gender inclusion and professional leadership within public service, the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning has officially launched the Professional Women Association Interactive Forum, under the theme “Women Unite, Inspire Change.”
The initiative, unveiled in Monrovia, is designed to provide a permanent platform for mentorship, capacity building, peer learning, and psychosocial support for women professionals within one of Liberia’s most influential government institutions.
Speaking at the launch, Augustine Kpehe Ngafuan, Minister of Finance and Development Planning, underscored the indispensable role women play in sustaining the daily operations, policy execution, and ethical standards of the Ministry often described as the nerve center of Liberia’s public administration.
“I am dealing with mothers, sisters, the future,” Ngafuan said. “You are pillars of society, and this initiative is not symbolic. Under my watch, it will be a permanent fixture.”
Women Powering Liberia’s Public Finance System
Globally, women make up approximately 43 percent of the public-sector workforce, according to the International Labour Organization.
In Liberia, women constitute a growing share of the civil service, particularly in finance, planning, and social-sector ministries, areas that directly affect service delivery, budget execution, and national development outcomes.
Minister Ngafuan emphasized that the Ministry of Finance functions much like the heart in a human body, pumping resources to all other sectors of government.
Any inefficiency or delay, he warned, can paralyze critical institutions such as education, health, and public works.
“If we don’t pump resources well, the system suffers. Somewhere in Grand Gedeh, Lofa, or Nimba, someone is waiting for what you do here often without knowing your name.”
Lessons Beyond the Classroom
Ngafuan described the forum as a space to learn lessons not taught in classrooms, but essential for professional growth, emotional intelligence, resilience, teamwork, and ethical responsibility.
He acknowledged the hidden burdens many women carry, noting that professional appearance often conceals personal pain.
“You come to work well-dressed, smiling but that smile may be shielding deep pain.
These forums allow you to unburden yourself and grow stronger together.”
Drawing Inspiration from History
The Finance Minister urged participants to draw strength from Liberia’s history, particularly the life and leadership of Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Africa’s first democratically elected female president.
Despite raising four children and navigating political persecution and exile, Sirleaf pursued higher education, challenged male-dominated power structures, and ultimately reshaped Liberia’s political landscape.
“She was not perfect, none of us are.
But in your perfect imperfections, you can do better for yourself and your country.”
Ethics, Empathy, and Motherly Urgency
Ngafuan stressed that no role within the Ministry of Finance is “innocent,” as every decision affects real lives.
He called on women to approach their duties with “motherly urgency”, especially when delays in financial processes affect salaries, classrooms, hospitals, and livelihoods.
“Feel the pain not only when you are paid, but when others are not especially in education and health.”
He further warned against workplace resentment, describing hatred as a “slow poison that destroys the harborer”, and encouraged women to cultivate empathy, teamwork, and mutual support.
Inclusion as a Development Imperative
Acknowledging diversity in skills and capacities, Ngafuan emphasized that national development requires both high-performing professionals and those still developing their competencies.
“There is something unique in everyone. Our duty is to harness that good for the sake of Liberia.”
A Permanent Platform with Institutional Backing
The Finance Minister assured participants that senior management fully supports the initiative and plans to expand it over time to address women-centered professional, social, and leadership challenges.
The event concluded on a somber note, as Ngafuan expressed condolences to the families of three Ministry employees who recently passed away, reaffirming the Ministry’s solidarity during the period of mourning.
With the launch of the Professional Women Association Interactive Forum, Liberia’s Ministry of Finance signals a deeper institutional commitment not only to fiscal discipline and economic planning, but to the human values and inclusive leadership that sustain national progress.
