MONROVIA — In a strategic move to position itself as a reform-driven, youth-centered political force, Liberia’s newest political movement, the Proposed People’s Action Party (PAP), has appointed international development expert Ahmed K. Sirleaf as its acting chairman. This appointment is a significant step as the party prepares for official certification with the National Elections Commission.
PAP officials believe that Sirleaf is the right leader to guide the party through a critical period in Liberia’s history. Citing the nation’s deepening challenges, including youth unemployment, economic hardship, and social inequality, a PAP official noted, “We need a leader with the expertise, networks, and vision to navigate complex challenges. Ahmed brings all of that to PAP.”
Sirleaf’s extensive academic and professional background sets him apart among Liberia’s emerging political leaders.
He is currently a doctoral candidate in Comparative and International Development Education at the University of Minnesota. He holds master’s degrees from both the Humphrey School of Public Affairs and the United Nations-mandated University for Peace in Costa Rica. His expertise spans critical areas for Liberia’s democratic transition, including human rights, transitional justice, donor coordination, post-conflict recovery, and governance reform.
Over a decade of service, Sirleaf has been a recognized figure in governance and development on both the global and national stages. At USAID in Liberia, he was instrumental in advising on donor coordination and governance reforms, managing the $21 million Liberia Strategic Analysis project, and helping to design systems that improved oversight of USAID’s $840 million portfolio in the country. In the United States, he led reforms in Minnesota’s homelessness response systems and managed emergency funding during the COVID-19 pandemic.
His expertise is highly sought after; in June 2024, he was one of only three experts—and the sole Liberian—invited to train commissioners and senior staff of the Liberia Revenue Authority in a partnership with the Swedish Tax Agency.
Beyond his work in government and international development, Sirleaf has built a legacy as an educator and mentor. For six years, he lectured at the University of Liberia’s Kofi Annan Institute for Conflict Transformation and later trained foreign service officers at the Liberia Foreign Service Institute.
In 2009, he helped secure nearly half a million dollars’ worth of legal texts for Liberia’s Louis Arthur Grimes School of Law through a partnership with Books for Africa and Thomson Reuters. Many of his former students have since risen to senior public service positions, including the minister of youth and sports, an associate justice of the Supreme Court, and senior officials at the Liberia Revenue Authority.
Sirleaf’s contributions have earned him numerous awards, including the U.S. Mission to Liberia Certificates of Appreciation (2016 and 2017), the Hamline University Outstanding Achievement Award (2015), the Art Naftalin Public Service Award (2012), and the UST Human Rights Award in 2008 for his global advocacy work.
Modeled after Singapore’s ruling People’s Action Party, PAP’s vision is less focused on electoral ambitions and more on governance reform and people-centered development. “The People’s Action Party will be the party for all,” said Montserrado County Sen. Saah H. Joseph, the party’s political leader. “We are not yet focused on elections but on improving the lives of the people.”
Sirleaf, who recently traveled to the United States for consultations in Washington, D.C., and Minnesota, is expected to return to Liberia in early September to spearhead mobilization efforts, boost the party’s credibility, and shape its reform agenda at home and abroad.
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