As looking forward to celebrating their new President on Monday, January 22, 2024 on Capitol Hill, GNN has taken up time to feature the profile of the Chief Executive or the President and others who are expected to administratively steer the affairs of Africa’s oldest Republic, Liberia.
Liberia’s 26th President is Joseph Nyumah Boakai, Sr born on November 30, 1944, in Wasonga, Lofa County, he served as the 29th vice president of the Republic of Liberia (2006 -2017) in the administration of President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Africa’s first female head of state. He previously ran for president of Liberia in 2017 and narrowly lost to now-incumbent George Manneh Weah.
Early Life, Education and Career
The story of Joe Boakai’s rise to national prominence should inspire hope for any African child with courage, determination, faith in God, the spirit of hard work, and dream. Born of poor peasants in the remote village of Wasonga in Lofa County, with extended families straddling across artificial borders into Sierra Leone and Guinea, young Joe was, at an early age, determined that he must go to school.
He walked more than 300 miles twice from Warsonga to Monrovia in search of his dream to be educated. Along the way, on this journey of an uncertain future, he made stops in various places including Bomi Hills in the west of the country and the American rubber giant Firestone Plantation in Harbel (more than 35 miles from the capital), where he helped his guardian in tapping rubber for livelihood.
Once in Monrovia, and as with many African children of limited means, he bounced from one family home to another until he enrolled at and graduated from the College of West Africa (CWA), one of Liberia’s prestigious secondary schools. Joe Boakai later graduated from the University of Liberia with a bachelor’s degree in business administration, as well as from the Kansas State University in the United States. As someone born in poverty,
Joe Boakai has worked hard most of his life, carving a career for himself in the process. At CWA he worked as a janitor, where he rose to become Assistant Dean of boys. He paid his way through school by also working in the Business Office selling books and uniforms. During vacations, he remained at the dormitory to work for his upkeep and school requirements for the following school term.
Joe was later recruited by the Liberia Produce Marketing Corporation (LPMC) and assigned to head its branch in Voinjama, Lofa County. There he introduced many reforms and innovations and empowered cocoa, coffee and oil palm farmers by improving their incomes. His hard work, diligence and dedication were recognized and he was promoted to the position of Managing Director of LPMC in 1980, becoming the first Liberian to occupy that position.
Boakai was later appointed Minister of Agriculture. In 1991, he served as Managing Director of the Liberian Petroleum Refining Corporation (LPRC) under the Interim Government of National Unity (IGNU) during the Liberian Civil Conflict. Boakai went into private business following the replacement of IGNU and traveled extensively. He spent some time in Ghana but mostly remained home during the crisis.
Integrity and Honesty
It is said that though the wages were low while working in the Business Office at CWA, Boakai proved highly disciplined and honest. He was never a penny short throughout his many years in the Business Office at CWA. Not once did any parent return to complain about unrecorded payments. Boakai also proved the experts wrong about self-reared children.
He was well-behaved, courteous and decent. Never was he subject to disciplinary action by the school. He displayed the same model behavior through college and his public life. Known for his honesty and integrity,
Joe Boakai has championed public integrity and anti–corruption, has lived those values throughout his public career, ran on them in the 2017 presidential race, and will do so again this year. In an interview with an international television station on the question of corruption, he summed up his view on the subject in public life thus, “Corruption in all its manifestations brings about underdevelopment and deprivation, and that is what African leaders should fight against.”
Political career: the vice presidency and presidential run
Joe Boakai became a towering figure in Liberian politics by an indomitable will, strong faith in God, hard work, honesty, abiding loyalty to the country, and service to humanity. Boakai’s vision of leadership was summed up in a speech he gave some time ago, when he said: “ I believe serving at the highest level is an obligation; it means that through you, others would be blessed.”
When peace was finally restored to Liberia in 2005, Mr. Boakai was elected Vice President under President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, a position he held for 12 years. There are very few Liberian leaders who can claim to have the leadership experience of former vice president Joseph Boakai.
In a television interview with a foreign news organization ahead of the 2017 election, he smartly said: “I come with a wealth of Experience… why get someone to learn on the job?” As someone who was a heartbeat away from the presidency for 12 years, and deeply involved with the difficult task of transition from conflict to peace and development, he played a key role domestically and on the global stage in shaping policies that set the country on the track to recovery. On the world stage, he was known as the trusted and loyal lieutenant of Africa’s first female president.
When President Sirleaf two terms ended, vice president Joe Boakai ran for president in 2017, but narrowly lost to current incumbent George Weah in a runoff that year. He, however, has not quailed in his determination to serve his country at the highest office in the country since that disappointment, declaring a year ago, his intention to contest the October 10, 2023 presidential elections.
This determination stems from his conviction that “Liberia is not a poor country, but the perennial problem of this country is mainly triggered by the lack of a sound and honest leadership.” Joe Boakai is on a mission, which he says “…is to ensure that the lost image of Liberia is restored.” And this mission is conveyed in the now ever-popular rallying call slogan of his: THINK LIBERIA, LOVE LIBERIA, BUILD LIBERIA!
The Humanitarian
As a humanitarian, former Vice President Boakai is selfless and has demonstrated a keen sense of compassion in his private and public life. Joe Boakai has been providing humanitarian assistance to the needy in Liberian society all his life, and since 2006 has stepped up such interventions. He once said, “ I firmly believe that every person, regardless of the situation or circumstances, has something to offer humanity. Every one of us has built within, the capacity for caring and the capacity … to alleviate human suffering and contribute to human dignity.”
Joe Boakai has always served his country, people, and humanity. In high school, he was a member of the Hi-Y. In College and throughout his adult life he was associated with the YMCA. He became a founding member of the Federation of Liberian Youth (FLY). He is also a strong Rotarian and served as president of the Monrovia Rotary Club.
His humanitarian work has earned him many honors. He has provided hundreds of scholarships both local and international for Liberians, some of whom have since graduated and are making significant contributions to national development. He has also funded medical treatment and care for many. Many of the programs which are the focus of the Joseph Nyuma Boakai Foundation are offshoots of his kindness. The Foundation is institutionalizing and sustaining strong discipline to prove that Liberians can indeed make development work.
A reviewer of his official biography captures his humanitarian nature in this tribute “He puts his faith in God and practices what he believes: He lives simply and honestly; he cheats no one and holds no grudges against others, no matter the case; he willingly shares whatever he has, no matter how little, and works very hard while denying himself basic pleasures…”
Joe Boakai is a devout Christian and a Senior Deacon of the Effort Baptist Church. He has been married to Katumu Yatta, his spouse, for 50 years, and together they have 4 children.
Meet Your New Vice President – H.E. Jeremiah K. Koung
Senator Jeremiah Kpan Koung is the Vice Standard Bearer/Running Mate to Ambassador Joseph N. Boakai, former Vice President of Liberia and Standard Bearer of the Unity Party for the 2023 Presidential Election.
The Nimba County Senator sees his preferment as running mate to Ambassador Boakai purely as “an act of destiny.” He was elected to a nine-year term during the Special Senatorial Election held in December of 2020. His selection by the Standard Bearer of the Unity Party as running mate bridges the gap between the young and old. Both generations consider Senator Koung an embodiment of hope – both symbolic and in fact – for the mainly destitute young people of Liberia, many of whom, with little or no opportunity, now find themselves heavily entrenched in the informal sector of the economy, an area Senator Koung particularly identifies with, and is a background that has shaped much of the success story of his life.
Born on March 17, 1978, in Yekepa, Nimba County, to Mr. Adam Sunday Koung and Mrs. Esther Markar Koung. His father, Adam migrated to Nimba from Sinoe County in the early 1960s in search of a job with the Liberian American – Swedish Minerals Company (LAMCO), and his mother, Ma. Esther is a native of Nimba. His family lineage stretches from Nimba to the Southeastern region of Liberia, with a good number of his childhood years spent in Grand Bassa County. Sen. Koung’s humble beginning should be familiar to every child who struggled to escape stagnation and poverty in the throes of the Liberian civil conflict.
At age 12, and at the height of the civil disruptions, young Koung started living on his own, and many times slept under a canoe along the beaches of the sea coast seeking refuge from terror at night. Those beaches that provided shelter would later spur his passion for business, which to date is arguably his most enduring legacy in society.
Young Koung’s initial exposure to business came from Providence and can be traced to a fisherman who favored him by letting him take a foothold in fishmongering. For more than three years, young Koung sold fish and saved money for himself. Later, the startup evolved into retailing distilled products of sugarcane juice in markets in Guinea.
His engagements in cross-border trade as a young man saw him risk life and limb, as he was caught in the crosshairs of the Liberian civil war. Yet, throughout the war, young Koung never became a combatant, and never held or fired guns. At the end of the civil conflict, and with peace reigning, Koung saw an opportunity to expand his business by adding the sale and transportation of petroleum products, importation of used cars from the United States and Europe, sale of general merchandise, building materials, frozen food, a micro loans scheme, real estate ventures, and many more.
The tenacity to hold onto his dream of becoming a successful businessman despite the odds stacked against him made young Koung persevere and resilient. Today, he is one of the most prominent and successful Liberian businessmen in Nimba County, owning a string of businesses that have added to the rapidly evolving commercial metropole of Gompa City in Nimba County – all this done through the sweat of his brow. Koung also served as Credit Manager for the Ganta United Brother’s Credit Union (GUBC), then one of the largest loan institutions in Ganta, Nimba County, Republic of Liberia.
Having realized that an elected office would increase the opportunity to serve the people by giving back to his country and community, Koung vied for a legislative seat in the House of Representatives during the 2011 Legislative and Presidential Elections for the Gompa municipality of Electoral District One, which he won, serving one and a half terms (9 years). Later, in 2020 Koung would participate in the 2020 Special Senatorial Election and win to clinch another nine-year term in the Liberian Senate.
Adding a feather to his political hat, Senator Koung got elected as Political Leader of the Movement for Democracy and Reconstruction (MDR), during a special convention in 2023. The MDR garnered 8.2 % of the total votes cast in the 2017 Presidential Elections, finishing fourth. The party has a very solid base in Nimba County, a history of pulling the second-largest number of votes in post-war presidential election cycles, and is known for its rapid economic and infrastructure development.
With experience in the business of national legislation and private sector growth enhancement, Senator Koung has been a champion for the Liberianization Policy, with the goal of helping to create a middle-income country. Senator Koung strongly believes in leveraging his business and legislative experiences to improve the lives of his constituencies and the wider Liberian society.
In the 53rd and 54th Legislatures, Koung developed and championed the enactment of a Technical and Vocational Education Training Bill (TVET) in the House of Representatives for the establishment of “The Gompa Technical and Vocational School”. The Act, which was subsequently passed into Law, allows, among others, career-oriented programs through capacity-building certification that would target participants to develop proficiency in industrial and other technical jobs for growth and development by creating more employment opportunities for young people in Liberia. Honorable Koung also sponsored a Bill proposing the de-dollarization of the Liberian currency to curtail inflation and boost economic growth. The bill was passed by the House of Representatives and sent to the Senate for concurrence.
The running mate to Ambassador Joseph Nyuma Boakai has held leadership roles in the Liberian Senate since 2021, including Chairman, Committee on Post and Telecommunications; Co-Chair of the Defense, Intelligence, Security and Veteran Affairs committees; Member, Committee on Health; Co-Chair, Committee on Public Works, and Co-Chair, Committee on Public Accounts and Audit.
Senator Koung is a humanitarian who sees education as a necessary tool for developing the talents of young people for personal growth and national development. He has offered international scholarships to Liberian students for master’s and bachelor’s degrees to study in Europe. He also funds a domestic scholarship program for 200 students within the various universities in Liberia and periodically provides financial aid to needy students who are not in the scholarship scheme.
Senator Koung’s humanitarian hand extends beyond education to the improvement of health and other areas of community development. In 2022, Senator Koung built and furnished a surgical theater at Karnplay Comprehensive Medical Center which he later turned over to the government of Liberia; constructed the Glenyiluu Market Hall and Small Ganta Market in 2020; constructed the Wuo Town Hall and installed 136 hand pumps from 2012 to 2022; constructed the Gbloyee Market in 2019; donated Medical equipment (Anesthesia machine), to Saclepea Medical Center in 2013; from 2012 to 2016, he built 10 classrooms to annex J.W. Pearson Public High School in Ganta; upgraded J.W. Pearson from Junior High to Senior High School through the construction of additional 6 classrooms and turned it over to the Government of Liberia; he also built Gowee and Wlenlah Elementary Public Schools from 2012 to 2014; and constructed maternal waiting homes across Nimba county from 2011 to 2023.
Senator Koung is currently constructing a doctors’ Residence in Saclepea. In addition, he is constructing a surgical theatre, labor/delivery rooms, and maternity wards to improve Bahn Health Center into a more comprehensive Health Center; constructing the Buutuo and Gbloulay health facilities, and has commissioned a feasibility study for the Zekepa health center.
His flagship intervention in health, however, would come in 2016, when after 5 years of work, he would present to the people in Nimba a 116-bed hospital (E&J Medical Center) named after his mother and daughter. The hospital was later turned over to the government.
Currently, Sen. Koung is a candidate for a master’s degree in Finance, at the University of Ghana School of Business in Accra, Ghana. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration from Cuttington University in Suacoco, Bong County, Liberia.
Senator Koung is fluent in other local languages such as Dan, Mann, Grebo (Tato) and Bassa.
Senator Jeremiah Kpan Koung is a Christian and a member of the Methodist Church. He is married to Synleseh Stephanie Dahn -Koung. They are blessed with children.
Meet the 55th Speaker of the National Legislature
His election as Speaker of the 55th National Legislature recently arouse the independence of that august House, especially the election of an opposition lawmaker amid the overwhelming quest of an incoming government to capture such prestigious seat.
Prior to his overwhelming election, the current Speaker, a season legal practitioner, and a grounded humanitarian, Cllr. Jonathan Fonati Koffa who successfully served as Deputy Speaker of the 54th National Legislature in his victory message assured the UP-led administration of his commitment for a better Liberia
He further called on his colleagues to work collaboratively in the interest of the country and people, as part of his platform released weeks before the election as speaker, Koffa promised to prioritize the construction of the coastal highway in the southeast of Liberia.
He believes that a coastal highway in Liberia’s southeastern region will make trade easier with Ivory Coast, West Africa’s fastest growing economy.
Koffa, a Representative of Grand Kru County had informed reporters immediately after his election, saying “I am vying for the speakership to push for the coastal highway covering the southeastern Liberia. This benefits all of the country because it will make trade with Ivory Coast.”
Touching on other aspects of his plan, Cllr. Koffa assured that he will reform the national budget so that the 73 districts feel the impact of fiscal spending by allocation of one million United States dollars (1M) per district.
He disclosed that the one million dollars will be allotted for health, education, youth empowerment and infrastructure development in each of the districts.
“I would like to implement modernization reform so that the house enters the digital age with electronic voting, digital agenda management, web presence, secure email,” the Deputy Speaker noted.
He also plans to ensure accountability of the Legislature with fiscal outturn and annual audits as well as passing legislation that reorganize the investment climate and make it easier for Liberians to do business. Liberia must do business with Liberians as it is done in other countries,” Koffa stressed.
Cllr. Jonathan Fonati Koffa, is an eccentric political leader adept in the science and art of constituent representation. A Lawyer and political leader whose short but meteoric rise to prominence in Liberian politics show a healthy understanding of politics and the ability to cut across political and ethnic divides to accomplish national goals and objectives. He has been instrumental in passing crucial gender-responsive bills, including the Domestic Violence Bill and the Female Genital Mutilation Bill.
Cllr. Koffa, or JFK, as popularly known in Liberian circles, was born in then Sasstown Territory (now Grand Kru) County in 1963 into the union of Major Stephen Jaitoh and Margaret Mona Koffa. The son of a military officer, his family relocated to Monrovia, Liberia, in 1966, where he grew up and began his educational journey
JFK was recently lauded by the Regional UN Women Ambassador for Africa, Madam Jaha Dukureh, over his efforts to end Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) in Liberia.
She praised him for being a significant player in the Legislature for championing bills in the interest of women, including the bill to outlaw the practices of FGM.
In her words, “we have seen this as an opportunity for us to interact with you, and we would like to say this as a fact that you are a champion in the fight against female genital mutilation in Liberia.”
“Honorable, I must confess that your stance against fgm is realistic and honest, and since I have been here, I have not found someone who is so passionate and firm on this issue as you: your dedication, your commitment, your passion and your willingness to champion is excellent, “Amb. Jaha said.
Legal Role:
Hon.Cllr. Koffa was also admitted into the Supreme Court Bar of the Republic of Liberia with distinct honour as valedictorian of the graduating class.
Political Role:
In 2016, President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf appointed Koffa as Minister of State without Portfolio and Special Prosecutor of the Sable Mining Bribery scandal case.
A few months later, he was appointed legal counsel to the President of Liberia.
Cllr. Koffa resigned in late July 2017 to participate in the General and Presidential elections as a candidate for the Representative seat in Grand Kru County District 2.
On October 19, he was declared the winner of that electoral process, and in 2021, he was subsequently elected as Deputy Speaker of the 54th Legislature of the Republic of Liberia.
Meet the Deputy Speaker – Rep Thomas Fallah
Members of the House of Representatives of the 55th Legislature recently voted Lofa County District #1 Representative, Thomas P. Fallah, to the post of Deputy Speaker of the body.
The election of the Lower House followed the dissolution of the 54th Legislature on Monday, January 15, 2024.
Representative Fallah is a ranking member of the ruling Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC).
Fallah, former Representative of Montserrado County District#5, is now the new Representative of Lofa County District#1, Foya , following the October 10, 2023, Presidential and Legislative Elections.
Prior to the election for the post of Deputy Speaker, the two contenders, Representatives Thomas Fallah and Musa Hassan Bility were given the opportunity to proffer their respective campaign platforms.
Representative Thomas Fallah told his colleagues that as an experienced legislator, he will address some difficult issues relating to the work of the House Representatives.
He vowed to help provide responsible leadership that is accessible and accountable to members of the House of Representatives and Liberians in general.
He pledged to provide assistance to the office of the Speaker, Cllr. J. Fonati Koffa, to proffer legislative agendas that align with the Boakai-Koung administration for the betterment of the country and people.
“Colleagues, with my experience in Legislative politics for the past 18, I will help the office of the Speaker to provide responsible and accessible Leadership for the Honorable House of Representatives,” the CDC Lawmaker assured.
Representative Fallah also disclosed that the issue of accountability and transparency of the House Representatives has affected the smooth operations of the House.
However, Fallah didn’t comment on the environmental and sanitary issues facing the House of Representatives but vowed that accountability and transparency will be the hallmarks of the 55th Legislature.
“With close working relationship with the House Speaker, Cllr. Fonati Koffa, we will be accountable to you our colleagues and the Liberian people who gave us the opportunity to serve them as their lawmakers,” he pledged.
The elections were in fulfillment of Article 49 of the 1986 Constitution of the Republic of Liberia, which provides that “The House of Representatives shall elect once every six years a Speaker who shall be the presiding officer of the body, a Deputy Speaker, and such other officers as shall ensure the proper functioning of the House. The Speaker, the Deputy Speaker and other officers so elected may be removed from office for cause by resolution of a two-thirds majority of the members of the House.”
Meet Senator Nyonblee Karnga – Senate Pro-Tempore
Grand Bassa County Senator Nyonblee Karnga-Lawrence was elected as Senate Pro-Tempore of the Liberian Senate on a white ballot. The election was held during the opening of the 55th Legislature.
Ahead of her victory, Senator Karnga-Lawrence secured the support of majority members of the Senate, who had already signed a resolution. According to sources, Senator Karnga-Lawrence’s overwhelming victory came to realization when her Grand Bassa colleague, Gbehzohngar Milton Findley, who had earlier thrown his hat in the race, respectfully declined his nomination as a candidate for the Pro-temp position, thus giving a White Ballot win to Nyonblee Kangar Lawrence.
Her election to the post was a reward not only for leading a robust campaign that ensured victory for the Unity Party Alliance but also for standing with President-elect Joseph Nyuma Boakai when major allies abandoned the cause, putting his presidential ambitions at risk. She becomes Liberia’s second female President Pro Tempore after Grace Beatrice Minor, an Americo-Liberian politician who served as the first female President Pro Tempore of the Senate from 2002 to 2003. She was a senator for Montserrado County.
Senator Lawrence, Political Leader of the Liberty Party (LP), was elected at the National legislature in 2013 following the sudden death of former Senator John Whitfield.
In December 2020, she was elected to serve her full term.
She excelled to the Standard bearer position of the LP following the death of the party’s Founder and Political Leader Counsellor Charles Walker Brumskine.
She was hailed and respected for the decision taken to support President-elect Joseph Nyuma Boakai after she was not selected to be his, Boakai’s, running mate.
Though her rejection caused mixed feelings among executives and partisans of the LP, Senator Lawrence managed to settle internal wrangling and potential withdrawal of support from the Unity Party during the October 2023 General and presidential elections in Liberia.
…. The Liberian people may have made Boakai president, but if Lawrence had poorly run his campaign in a disorganized manner, the President-elect would not be where he is at the moment. This made her the rare gem that brought Boakai and the former ruling Unity Party, which was in alliance with other parties, back to power.
It is late October, and Senator Nyonblee Karnga-Lawrence is feeling uneasy after President-elect Joseph Boakai lost the first round of the elections. The Senator, as the chair of the Boakai-Koung campaign, had declared for nearly three months, along with the rest of her campaign team members, that the President-elect was going to win the election in the first round.
However, when the October 10 election results showed that Boakai had narrowly lost to outgoing President George Weah, she became apprehensive and, for the first time, feared the possibility of losing the elections. Armed with election data, the Grand Bassa Senator began hosting a series of internal briefings on Boakai’s pathway to winning the November 14 runoff after he had lost to Weah 43.83% to 43.44% during the first round.
“I’ve been in a very male-dominated business for decades, and I have found out that there’s plenty of room for passion, but there’s very little room for emotion. So when we had to do the second round, even though we did not place first, I knew something was wrong somewhere,” Lawrence told the Daily Observer in an exclusive interview. “The election was an existential battle for the future of this country, and so, we needed to lead to make victory certain. We reviewed our strategy, found the lapse, and put the correct measure in place, which resulted in victory.”
Reviewing the election data, Lawrence, alongside her team, zeroed in on a strategy that would capture the runoff from Weah, who had all the wherewithal and was confident of winning. The Senator, as part of her strategy, had to ignore the numerous complaints within the Unity Party alliance over Boakai’s no-shows at campaign events in the five counties that make up the Southeast, as they voted in droves for President Weah, thereby propelling him to lead the first ballot.
Her stubborn approach, grounded in data, was anchored on two pillars: first, reducing the vote margin of the incumbent presidential candidate, in the eight counties that he won, especially in Bong and Grand Bassa, two significant vote-rich counties; while simultaneously expanding the Boakai’s lead in the seven counties he won, especially Montserrado County, which holds the card to the Presidency.
But, there was a catch. The timeframe for the second campaign was short. Hence, she split her strategy into two: first, work with Boakai to get the strategic support of other presidential candidates and leading stakeholders, and simultaneously strengthen the Unity Party Alliance’s “get out the vote” campaign to target and mobilize voters to increase the turnout for the runoff.
Lawrence adopted this strategy after the election data showed that while Weah won the first-round ballot, half of the 1.9 million people that voted out of a registered voter base of 2.4 million did so against the President, opting for Boakai and several other opposition candidates. And it worked. Boakai managed to gain the support of Lusinee Kamara of the All-Liberia People Party; Cllr. Tiawan Gongloe of the Liberian People’s Party, and Edward Appleton Grassroots Development Movement.
These men joined the Boakai campaign having finished in the top six in the October 10 poll, even though their share of the votes was very minimal but significant enough to sway the runoff elections. The key moment for Lawrence, however, came when she landed the support of Amara Konneh, Senator-elect of Gbarpolu County and a data enthusiast.
Konneh, who was then given the role to coordinate the Boakai campaign, handled his task very well — working with Lawrence to set up a very sophisticated war room that would enable them to collect and analyze election results in real-time, allowing the Liberian people to know the winner of the election even before the official results were announced.
The result was a historic win for Boakai, making him the second presidential candidate in the history of Liberia to return a former ruling party to power since 1878 when former President Anthony W. Gardiner did so with the True Whig Party. Boakai won the runoff with 50.64% (814,481 votes) to Weah’s 49.36% (793,914 votes).
The achievement comes a few weeks after he had lost the first ballot by a narrow margin as a result of his slim lead in Montserrado, which has the country’s largest share of the vote. Weah’s defeat became historic — making him the first President in Liberia’s 177 years of history to lose a reelection bid. His defeat came just six years after he had won Boakai convincingly in the 2017 runoff, securing a decisive win with 61.5% to 38.5%.
The dynamics, however, shifted in 2023, with Boakai putting up a formidable fight in the first round and then winning the runoff after constantly pledging to rescue Liberia from what he described as mismanagement and corruption under the Weah administration.
“When we look over, there were numerous challenges, but the two most important ones were structure and finances. So the first thing I did was to distinguish the political parties from the campaign team, especially when it comes to a political party that has a presidential candidate and that party feels entitled to taking charge of the entire campaign, and you from another party join in there as the campaign chairperson who takes over the entire campaign.
“Secondly, raising money and getting things on track was a huge challenge that I had to overcome, especially when I came in with nothing available to start the campaign with,” the Senator said. “So whatever we needed to do, I just had to take the lead and demonstrate that commitment. So, we succeeded. I think a lot of people believed in my stance, especially when it came to my fight for national interest. It became easy for me to navigate.”
While Boakai’s win is historic, it is the work of Lawrence, who had to manage his campaign that was full of several challenges, including resources, that propelled him to the Presidency. Amidst some harsh criticism, the Senator, who at times (three years) was the only female senator in Liberia, never “capitulated” to the complaints but stood firm and kept the blinders on while relentlessly executing her runoff strategy, and it worked.
Her focus on keeping the campaign’s attention directed at the “powerbroker” counties of Montserrado, Nimba, Lofa, and Margibi, which Boakai lost in 2017 with the exception of Lofa, meant the campaign did not pour more resources into long-shot counties, even when prominent supporters of Boakai insisted that her campaign team was letting a huge prize slip away.
Instead, she narrowed her focus on winning the overwhelming support of the voters who did not support Weah, as well as protecting their votes, which would leave limited room for any cheating. The focus paid off in the runoff as the Boakai campaign, beyond expectations, performed considerably in the Southeast Counties of Maryland, Grand Kru, Sinoe, Rivercess, Grand Gedeh, and River Gee — which are the strongholds of the outgoing administration. The campaign also significantly slashed the Weah’s campaign vote share in populated counties of Grand Bassa and Bong, increasing their vote share compared to what they got in the first round.
But all of this would not have happened if Lawrence, as the campaign chair, had not exhibited strong leadership to keep the Unity Party Alliance campaign tight with limited room for distraction. She did so by disciplining the campaign activities based on conventional campaigns, to attract voters of all ages and appeal to their desire for change and a better Liberia.
“The first round I always preached one round, and everywhere I went on the campaign trail, our goal was to win one round. We had financial challenges and all of that, but Liberians were committed to the rescue mission in many ways,” Lawrence said. “When we had to do the second round, I feel that we did very well to reach the second round, even though we did not win.”
“So, we came up with a strategy for the second round to maximize the votes in the Southeast, to control places and increase votes in places that we did not have more votes, and strongholds that we did not pay a lot of attention to. So the target was that at least we should increase the votes by another 5,000 in the Southeast, which we did. So when we saw all of those coming into play quietly, we knew that we were going to win the elections.”
Lawrence’s groundbreaking achievement as the first woman in Africa to run a winning presidential campaign puts her in the league of very few women who have achieved such a feat around the world. Notably, she joins the likes of Kellyanne Conway, who became the first woman in the U.S to run a winning Republican presidential campaign, and Jen O’Malley Dillon, who led President Biden to victory. Dillon then became the first woman to run a winning Democratic presidential campaign — four years after Conway’s record-breaking achievement.
The Senator now sits in rarefied company, alongside historical record-breakers like former Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, who was the first elected female President in Africa, and Liberia’s Angie Brooks Randolf, the first woman to chair the UN General Assembly. Her achievement, which is no small feat for women in Liberia and Africa, is the most transformative thing that has happened to Liberia, especially at a time when women are still struggling politically, despite the country having produced a female president.
And so, she is the Daily Observer’s “Person of the Year” for undoubtedly shaping the future of women’s participation in politics and leadership. The Daily Observer uses its “Person of the Year” award to profile a person, a group of persons, or an institution that has made a significant impact on the country and its people on a national scale. For 2023, it’s Karnga-Lawrence, who found a way to transcend boundaries and be a source of light for women who constitute the larger share of the Liberian population.
The Liberian people may have made Boakai president, but if the Senator had poorly run his campaign in a disorganized manner, the President-elect would not be where he is at the moment. This made her the rare gem that brought Boakai and the former ruling Unity Party, which was in alliance with other parties, back to power.
