NIC Participates in IPAWAS Regional Investment Promotion Training

A delegation from the National Investment Commission (NIC) recently participated in the IPAWAS Platform Handover and Training Programme held in Abuja, Nigeria, from May 1113, 2026. The regional event brought together representatives of Investment Promotion Agencies (IPAs) and Secretariat staff from 12 ECOWAS member states to officially introduce, operationalize, and hand over the IPAWAS digital investment promotion platform.

IPAWAS (Investment Promotion Agencies of West African States) is a regional investment promotion initiative designed to strengthen investment cooperation, improve investor engagement, and enhance the visibility of investment opportunities across West Africa. The platform serves as a digital gateway connecting investors to verified and structured investment opportunities across ECOWAS member states.

During the three-day programme, participants received comprehensive training on platform operations, including investment opportunity management, investor inquiry handling, analytics and reporting, cybersecurity protocols, governance standards, and platform administration. Practical sessions enabled participating countries to create and manage investment opportunities while engaging directly with approval workflows, investor communication systems, and country profile management tools.

The Liberia delegation successfully activated its national account, configured system access, and participated in hands-on exercises focused on developing investor-ready investment opportunities. The training also emphasized cybersecurity best practices, including TwoFactor Authentication (2FA), and reinforced the importance of secure digital infrastructure in modern investment promotion. A key highlight of the programme was the presentation of the IPAWAS strategic technology roadmap, which includes future initiatives such as the West Africa Investment Information System (WAIIS), a Digital IPA Training Academy, and an AI-driven investor engagement and matchmaking system.

These developments underscore the region’s shift toward integrated, data-driven investment promotion systems. The training served as a major eye-opener for the Liberia delegation, particularly in demonstrating the importance of structured, centralized, and technology-driven investment promotion systems. It further reinforced ongoing internal discussions within the National Investment Commission regarding the need to strengthen Liberia’s digital investment infrastructure.

NIC Advances Development of National Investment Gateway

In this regard, the NIC confirms that it has already initiated steps toward the development of a national Investment Dashboard—a centralized digital platform designed to consolidate and showcase all bankable and investment-ready projects across government institutions. This initiative is being pursued to complement regional platforms such as IPAWAS while ensuring that Liberia maintains full institutional control over its national investment data, project pipeline, and investor engagement systems. While the IPAWAS platform provides a valuable regional framework for investment promotion, the training underscored the importance for Liberia to also maintain its own robust and independently managed system.

At present, investment opportunities across government institutions remain fragmented and inconsistently documented, limiting their visibility and accessibility to potential investors. The Investment Dashboard is therefore intended to address these gaps by consolidating all investment projects into a single, structured, and investor-friendly platform managed directly by the NIC. The system will standardize the presentation of investment opportunities by ensuring that each project includes clear and comparable information such as sector classification, financial requirements, implementation status, expected returns, and government support mechanisms.

This structured approach will significantly improve transparency, enhance investor confidence, and facilitate faster and more informed investment decision-making. In addition, the platform will streamline communication between investors and the NIC through structured inquiry management and response tracking systems, reducing delays and improving overall efficiency in investor engagement. By strengthening visibility, transparency, and responsiveness, the Investment Dashboard is expected to position Liberia as a more competitive and attractive investment destination within the region and globally.

The IPAWAS Platform Handover and Training Programme therefore not only strengthened Liberia’s technical capacity in digital investment promotion but also served as a catalyst for accelerating the development of a national digital investment infrastructure. The NIC remains committed to leveraging these insights to enhance investment facilitation, improve institutional coordination, and expand opportunities for sustainable economic growth in Liberia.