Liberia Forest Economy Project (LiFE-P) (WB-P508345)

Regions
  • Africa
Geographic location where the impacts of the investment may be experienced.
Countries
  • Liberia
Geographic location where the impacts of the investment may be experienced.
Financial Institutions
  • World Bank (WB)
International, regional and national development finance institutions. Many of these banks have a public interest mission, such as poverty reduction.
Project Status
Proposed
Stage of the project cycle. Stages vary by development bank and can include: pending, approval, implementation, and closed or completed.
Bank Risk Rating
A
Environmental and social categorization assessed by the development bank as a measure of the planned project’s environmental and social impacts. A higher risk rating may require more due diligence to limit or avoid harm to people and the environment. For example, "A" or "B" are risk categories where "A" represents the highest amount of risk. Results will include projects that specifically recorded a rating, all other projects are marked ‘U’ for "Undisclosed."
Voting Date
Oct 22, 2026
Date when project documentation and funding is reviewed by the Board for consideration and approval. Some development banks will state a "board date" or "decision date." When funding approval is obtained, the legal documents are accepted and signed, the implementation phase begins.
Borrower
Government of Liberia - Forestry Development Authority
A public entity (government or state-owned) provided with funds or financial support to manage and/or implement a project.
Sectors
  • Agriculture and Forestry
  • Climate and Environment
The service or industry focus of the investment. A project can have several sectors.
Investment Type(s)
Loan
The categories of the bank investment: loan, grant, guarantee, technical assistance, advisory services, equity and fund.
Investment Amount (USD)
$ 40.00 million
Value listed on project documents at time of disclosure. If necessary, this amount is converted to USD ($) on the date of disclosure. Please review updated project documents for more information.
Project Cost (USD)
$ 45.40 million
Value listed on project documents at time of disclosure. If necessary, this amount is converted to USD ($) on the date of disclosure. Please review updated project documents for more information.
Bank Documents
Primary Source

Original disclosure @ WB website

Updated in EWS Sep 6, 2026

Disclosed by Bank Oct 7, 2025

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Project Description
If provided by the financial institution, the Early Warning System Team writes a short summary describing the purported development objective of the project and project components. Review the complete project documentation for a detailed description.

According to the Bank’s website, the objective of this project is to improve forest governance, expand community-managed forests, and increase income and jobs for forest-dependent people in selected areas of Liberia.

This project seeks to capitalize on the former Liberia Forest Sector Project's achievements and lessons learned to boost Liberia's forest economy and to meet its NDC targets by improving the governance of the forestry sector, the interventions related to conservation, and commercial activities, and the participation of communities' vis a vis income generation and alternative livelihoods. The World Bank's Global Challenge on Forests for Development, Climate and Biodiversity (GCP-F) provides a framework for addressing key challenges of Liberia's forestry sector improving the lives of people living in and around forests and bringing a cohesive framework for national commitments. It can provide the foundation for a long-term forest economy as well as the foundation for climate financing.

Early Warning System Project Analysis
For a project with severe or irreversible impacts to local community and natural resources, the Early Warning System Team may conduct a thorough analysis regarding its potential impacts to human and environmental rights.

Environmental risk is rated Substantial. While the project is designed to enhance forest management and local livelihoods, planned activities may generate medium-scale impacts that are largely temporary and reversible, with potential cumulative effects on biodiversity-rich and sensitive forest areas. Key risks associated with Components 2 and 3: community resource management, forest restoration, timber plantations/woodlots, and small-scale processing— potential for habitat disturbance, soil erosion, water pollution, and invasive species without strong planning and monitoring. Expanded NTFP harvesting may cause overexploitation and ecosystem disruption if not sustainably managed. Alternative livelihoods (beekeeping, aquaculture) and rubber plantation rehabilitation can create localized impacts if poorly managed. Park/ecotourism infrastructure may generate noise/vibration, soil erosion, dust, solid/hazardous waste, and wastewater discharges. Forest harvesting risks include habitat alteration, biodiversity loss, water quality and soil productivity decline, hazardous materials issues, and visual impacts. Sawmilling/wood products manufacturing will introduce additional issues: solid waste, air emissions, wastewater, noise, and fire risks.

The project has a substantial social risk due to its work in protected areas, increased labor influx, potential displacement/involuntary resettlement, use of security personnel, potential child labor, gender based violence, and the possibility of excluding vulnerable groups such as women, marginalized youth, and persons with disabilities.

Investment Description
Here you can find a list of individual development financial institutions that finance the project.

Total Project Cost: US$ 45.40 million
IDA Credit: US$ 40.00 million
Global P'ship for Sust. and Resilient Landscapes - PROGREEN: US$ 5.40 million


Contact Information
This section aims to support the local communities and local CSO to get to know which stakeholders are involved in a project with their roles and responsibilities. If available, there may be a complaint office for the respective bank which operates independently to receive and determine violations in policy and practice. Independent Accountability Mechanisms receive and respond to complaints. Most Independent Accountability Mechanisms offer two functions for addressing complaints: dispute resolution and compliance review.

CONTACT POINT - World Bank

Task Team Leader: Ngao Mubanga
Title: Senior Environmental Specialist
Email: nmubanga@worldbank.org

TTL Contact: Marcelo Hector Acerbi
Job Title: Lead Environmental Specialist
Email: macerbi@worldbank.org

TTL Contact: Alari Hasanatu Ijileyoh Mahdi
Job Title: Senior Private Sector Development Specialist
Email: amahdi@worldbank.org

ACCESS TO INFORMATION

To submit an information request for project information, you will have to create an account to access the Access to Information request form. You can learn more about this process at: https://www.worldbank.org/en/access-to-information/request-submission

ACCOUNTABILITY MECHANISM OF THE WORLD BANK

The World Bank Inspection Panel is the independent complaint mechanism and fact-finding body for people who believe they are likely to be, or have been, adversely affected by a World Bank-financed project. If you submit a complaint to the Inspection Panel, they may investigate to assess whether the World Bank is following its own policies and procedures for preventing harm to people or the environment. You can contact the Inspection Panel or submit a complaint by emailing ipanel@worldbank.org. Information on how to file a complaint and a complaint request form are available at: https://www.inspectionpanel.org/how-to-file-complaint

How it works

How it works