Misleading: Liberia is not Selected for $500 Million MCC Compact
Claim: "Finally, Liberia has been selected for the half-billion MCC Compact."
Verdict: Misleading
Full Text: On August 22, 2025, the Rescue Liberia Facebook page posted that Liberia had been selected for a half-billion-dollar compact from the U.S. Government's Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC).
The announcement sparked significant online engagement, attracting 714 reactions, 239 comments, and 7 shares.
The Millennium Challenge Corporation is a U.S. foreign aid agency established in 2004 under President George W. Bush. It provides large-scale grants, called "compacts," to countries that meet strict criteria in terms of good governance, economic freedom, and investment in their citizens.
In December 2024, MCC listed Liberia as eligible to develop a compact. However, eligibility is merely the first step—it allows a country to begin creating a compact proposal, which then undergoes extensive reviews before the MCC Board makes final selections.
Verification: The Stage Media reviewed official MCC documentation to verify this claim. According to MCC's press release on August 22, 2025, the Board of Directors selected only Fiji as eligible to develop a compact and Tonga for a threshold program. Liberia was not selected.
Instead, Liberia remains eligible for potential consideration in future fiscal years. The release confirms that MCC approved the FY 2026 Candidate Country Report, which outlines countries under review but does not confirm new compacts for Liberia.
On the same day, Liberia's Ministry of Finance and Development Planning issued a clarifying statement confirming that MCC has not selected Liberia but will send a team to identify sectors for possible support. The Board will decide on Liberia's continued eligibility for a second compact in December 2025.
The ministry quoted MCC Acting Vice President Jason Small's letter to Minister Augustine Ngafuan: "MCC's continuing engagement on the development of a Compact with Liberia will focus on areas that can inform the Board's December deliberations... MCC intends to send a team to Liberia to advance these discussions."
The Stage Media contacted Rescue Liberia via Messenger for clarification. Although our message was read, no response was provided.
Conclusion: The claim that Liberia has been "finally selected" for a $500 million MCC compact is MISLEADING. Liberia has not been awarded any compact. The country remains eligible and under review, with a final decision expected in December 2025.
