Bilateral relations between Germany and Liberia go back a long way. The Hanseatic cities of Lübeck, Bremen and Hamburg recognised Liberia’s independence in 1855, the first partners to do so after the UK, and opened a joint consulate in Monrovia.

After closing in 1990 due to the civil war, the German Embassy recommenced its work in Monrovia in 2005. Bilateral relations intensified while Nobel Peace Prize laureate Ellen Johnson Sirleaf was President (2006‑2018).

The German private sector had a strong presence in the country until the outbreak of the civil war in late 1989. German companies are currently operating in strategic sectors in Liberia such as aviation, banking, the construction industry and the postal service.

In the sphere of development cooperation, Germany is mainly active in the spheres of healthcare and infrastructure (road construction, waste management, electricity supply and consultancy on an arrangement governing third‑party use of the existing port and rail infrastructure). Acting on behalf of the German Government, the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) supported the Liberian Government until 2024 by fostering vocational training in the transport sector.

As part of a regional project, GIZ is providing advisory services for the Liberian Government concerning the raw material sector to ensure greater transparency on state revenue and to improve the social and environmental standards relating to the extraction of raw materials.

Furthermore, other regional projects focus on nature conservation (cross‑border national park shared with Côte d´Ivoire) and access to renewable energy.