MONROVIA, LIBERIA-The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of iCampus Liberia, Luther Jeke, has urged Liberian entrepreneurs to treat grant funding not as free money but as a strategic investment to scale their businesses and create jobs.
Speaking at the launch of Cohort V of the Liberia MSME Growth Accelerator Program, Jeke emphasized that the initiative is designed to empower impactful Liberian businesses with technical assistance, mentoring, and co-financing grants to drive inclusive economic growth.
The pitch event, held at iCampus, on Carey Street in Monrovia on August 28, 2025, featured eighteen shortlisted businesses from a pool of two hundred nine applicants across thirteen counties.
Each entrepreneur presented a five-minute growth plan to a panel of judges comprising CEOs, ambassadors, and development experts. Nine businesses will be selected to receive $10,000 each in grant funding and join the fifth cohort of the program.
Launched in 2020 as part of the Livelihood and Employment Creation Project co-created by UNDP and the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, the Growth Accelerator Program has supported over one hundred and fifty Liberian MSMEs and cooperatives to date.
Last year alone, fifty-four businesses received support, including forest-based enterprises funded by the EU and Swedish Embassy.
This year’s selection process was overseen by the Center for Transparency and Accountability (Centa) to enhance the program’s integrity.
The chosen businesses will proceed to boot camps in Ganta and workshops in Buchanan, where they will receive further capacity-building support.
Luther Jeke urged grant recipients to use the funding to create jobs for youth, women, and persons with disabilities, reinforcing the program’s mission to transform Liberia’s entrepreneurial landscape.
Also speaking, Resident Representative of UNDP, Aliou Dia, called on Liberian entrepreneurs to see themselves not as small players, but as the backbone of the nation’s economy and frontline soldiers of Liberia’s development agenda.
Dia emphasized that the initiative is more than a competition; it’s a celebration of Liberian innovation, resilience, and the collective belief that small and medium enterprises can transform the country’s future.
The Resident Representative of UNDP praised the eighteen shortlisted businesses for their courage to dream and determination to build something lasting, urging them to use their five-minute pitch not just to win funding, but to inspire national transformation.
He also highlighted the government’s Accelerated Community Development Program (ACDP), which has committed nearly $3 million, including $300,000 for agricultural cooperatives under the Growth Accelerator model.
Aliou Dia reaffirmed UNDP’s commitment to inclusive development, especially for youth, women, and persons with disabilities.
Names of Selected Businesses qualified for the grant include Angea Agro Hub Inc., Choices Liberia Limited, Jane’s Healthline Liberia Inc., JBC Enterprise, Afro Resources Inc., Leela Group of Companies, Liberia Agi-Processing Venture (LAP Venture), Inc., Harvesting Hope Enterprise, Youth Agribusiness for Liberian Indigenous Vegetable, and Green Investment.