Liberia's gross international reserves rose 42% over a year to an estimated $971.95mn at end-August 2026 from $684.24mn, the Central Bank of Liberia (CBL) said in its August economic review. The reserves covered 3.2 months of imports, up from 3.0 months at end-July but the same as in August 2025.
Analysis: Reserves increased by approximately $288mn over the year, but import cover barely improved as the monthly import bill also grew roughly 42%. Cover remains only slightly above the central bank's three-month ECOWAS benchmark, limiting the apparent buffer if foreign-currency demand increases. The central bank attributed reserve growth mainly to foreign liquid assets. Remittance receipts, up 47% year on year to $90.3mn, also added to available dollars, although they do not translate automatically into official reserves. The monetary policy committee next meets on January 20, 2027.
Source: Central Bank of Liberia, Research, Policy & Planning Dept, CBL Monthly Economic Review, August 2026 (cover dated 8 August 2026; posted November 2, 2026), End-August 2026 and End-August 2025 and August 2026 and August 2025; Central Bank of Liberia, Research, Policy & Planning Dept, CBL Monthly Economic Review, July 2026, July 2026; Central Bank of Liberia, Research, Policy & Planning Dept, CBL Monthly Economic Review, July 2026 (Vol. 12 No. 7), July 2026; Central Bank of Liberia, CBL market buying and selling rates, November 2, 2026; European Central Bank, ECB euro foreign exchange reference rates: US dollar, November 2, 2026; Central Bank of Liberia (CBL), CBL Monetary Policy Committee Communique No. 28 (meeting of October 6, 2026), Q3 2026 and January 2027