By Stephanie M. Duncan
MONROVIA – The Office of the First Lady has reaffirmed its commitment to advancing higher education opportunities for Liberian students as it chaired a regular Steering Committee meeting of the Government of Liberia–French Development Agency (AFD)–Institut National Polytechnique Félix Houphouët-Boigny (INP-HB) Scholarship Project.
The meeting, chaired by the Chief of Staff in the Office of the First Lady, Foday E. Karpeh, brought together representatives from key government ministries, the National Commission on Higher Education, and technical partners from AFD and INP-HB to assess progress and discuss the future of the €2.2 million scholarship initiative.
The scholarship program, which focuses on science, engineering, and technology education, has trained 80 Liberian students across four cohorts since its launch in 2019. An additional 16 students are expected to benefit from the program this year.
Speaking during the meeting, Mr. Karpeh emphasized the Office of the First Lady’s continued dedication to the project and expressed gratitude to AFD and INP-HB for their support and collaboration.
“The Office of the First Lady remains committed to the scholarship program,” Karpeh said. “We look forward to substantive discussions on the way forward and a productive session.”
He stressed the importance of engaging directly with students enrolled in the program, noting that such interactions help ensure the effectiveness and impact of the initiative.
“It is important that while our partners are in Liberia, they meet with the students participating in the program because it helps us assess and improve productivity,” he added.
Also addressing the gathering, Mar Merita Blat, Task Team Leader for Higher Education, Vocational Training and Employment at AFD, thanked the Liberian government for its partnership and reaffirmed the agency’s commitment to supporting the educational development of Liberian youth.
“We are happy to be here to discuss the future of Liberian students,” Blat said.
The Steering Committee meeting serves as a routine forum for stakeholders to ensure the smooth implementation of the scholarship project. Discussions focused on several critical issues, including diploma recognition and equivalency, finalization of the Memorandum of Understanding between students and the Government of Liberia, student welfare and internship monitoring, financial audits, and strategies to sustain the project beyond 2027.
The meeting follows a recent AFD supervision mission held in Yamoussoukro, Côte d’Ivoire, from June 11 to 12, 2026, and forms part of a week-long supervision mission being undertaken by an INP-HB delegation.
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