Stakes high as Liberia prepares for presidential election

Millions of Liberians will head to the polls on Tuesday to elect a new president in what will be the first time since 1944 that there will be a democratic transfer of power in the country from one elected leader to another.

Africa's first female president, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf's term is coming to an end, paving the way for a new leader with a new vision. There are 20 candidates all vying for the presidency.

Former footballer George Weah, now a presidential candidate, has promised voters growth if they cast their ballots for him.

"For our country to have roads, for our nurses to be paid, for the military to have logistics, for our police to have logistics, for our people justice to be now," Weah says, calling for people’s support.

Caitlin McGee reports.

Liberia is still recovering after being battered by a 14-year-civil war and an ebola epidemic that killed more people in Liberia than anywhere else.

The epidemic paralysed the economy, meaning there has been almost zero growth since 2014.

Sirleaf's government improved the bare-bones infrastructure of the country. The completion of a hydro dam will add electricity to the country's national grid, but more needs to be done.

Meanwhile, the scars of the brutal civil war linger, with sporadic violence flaring up in the build up to the vote.

But perhaps the biggest issue is youth unemployment. The UN says it's as high as 85 percent.

Sirleaf says Liberia's biggest security threat is the lack of jobs for young people, and presidential candidates need to deliver on their promises to get young people working or violence could return.