Sweden Ends Decades-Long Development Presence in Liberia, Raising Fears for Women’s Health Services

On August 31, the Swedish embassy in Monrovia closed after a diplomatic presence that began in 1961. The Swedish flag will remain flying until October 31, when the remaining staff complete the wind-down of operations. The cessation ends a development partnership that, since 2008, delivered more than SEK 5.77 billion (£445 million) in aid covering infrastructure, democratic institutions, humanitarian relief and, notably, gender-equality programmes.

The Guardian

Sweden became Liberia’s second-largest donor after the United States and a leading champion of sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR). In 2025, over a quarter of Swedish aid funded women’s rights, family-planning, HIV care and initiatives to curb gender-based violence. Projects such as the Promotion of Women’s Power and Rights in Liberia (Power) reached 16,350 women across nine counties and assisted more than 400 survivors of gender-based violence.

The Guardian

Activists warn that the loss of high-value, multi-year funding will jeopardise services that already operate at the margins. “Imagine the challenges we faced when this funding was available – imagine what it will be like now. “We will look at the possibility of supporting some local partners [we work with] but really it’s challenging without high-value multi-year funding. If you are investing in gender-based violence, that is not something that can wait,” — Williams. Aminata Kamara Without Swedish support, local NGOs fear gaps in contraception provision, safe-abortion counselling and comprehensive sex-education efforts that have been central to reducing unplanned pregnancies and maternal mortality.

The Guardian

“Sweden is proud to have contributed to progress made when it comes to advancing gender equality in Liberia. Sweden has been a committed partner in advancing gender equality and SRHR and has consistently mainstreamed gender throughout its development cooperation portfolio. As of 2023, 78% of Sweden’s contributions in Liberia had at least one gender-responsive target.”

The Guardian

Liberian advocates argue that Sweden’s exit removes a rare ally willing to speak publicly on contentious issues such as abortion rights, bodily autonomy and LGBTQ + protections. The loss is seen as a direct threat to the proposed public-health bill that would legalise abortion up to 18 weeks and mandate comprehensive sex education.

The Guardian

The combined effect of the funding cut and recent regulatory tightening on misoprostol—a drug used for medical abortion—has heightened concerns that unsafe abortions, which already account for a significant share of maternal deaths, could rise further without sustained international support.

The Guardian