President Joseph Nyuma Boakai has informed members of the Liberian Ligature disunity in the country would derail tangible actions taken in the best interest of the state, thus he sees the need to submit a national action plan to address the issue.
The Liberia leader made the disclosure Monday, January 27, 2025 when he delivered his second State of the Nation Address (SONA) to legislators at the capitol building in Monrovia.
The president said as a MOMENT OF TRUTH in the supreme interest of the country and beyond his assessment of the challenges the state is confronted with, certain intangibles require compellable actions.
These actions, according to the Liberian leader, will include the proposal of an action plan to address the state of national unity; a review of the Constitution to address shortcomings in the country’s Organic Law; comprehensive electoral reforms to strengthen electoral process and democratic credentials.
In the spirit of healing and national unity, President Boakai said he will initiate plans for the proper burial of former Presidents William R. Tolbert and Samuel K. Doe.
“We will propose a plan to recognize ECOWAS for their vital contributions to maintaining peace and stability during crucial times in Liberia’s history. We will convene a National Conference on Post-War Infrastructure to address the rebuilding and development of our post-war infrastructure,” he said.
The president told the 55th Legislature that they started the journey of leadership together with the faith that they can face and address difficulties, course correct and set a path for a transformed future.
“Let us with compassion continue to stand united as we move forward, hand in hand, toward a prosperous and inclusive future for our nation. After one year in office, we can confidently say that the STATE OF OUR NATION is better than when we began. Our progress in twelve productive months is just the beginning, and prospects are encouraging,” the Liberian leader said.
President Boakai said as the government begins to implement and achieve the ARREST Agenda for Inclusive Development goals this year and in the coming years, “we move decidedly and resolutely forward, Thinking Liberia, Loving Liberia, and Building Liberia together”
Speaking on the state of the country, Sector Challenges and Interventions to Advancing Social and Economic Development for Improved Livelihoods, President Boakai told legislators that when the government took office a year ago, it was given the mandate by the Liberian people to steer the nation toward progress and development, but said one cannot speak about the state of the Republic only in terms of the material conditions of the people–the so-called “bread and butter” issues.
“We must go beyond policy to address the deeper social and political dynamics that affect us; the undercurrent issues that run deep in our society, including addressing historical social cleavages that tend to divide us and create tensions,” He said.
President Boakai said Liberians are one people with a common destiny as a nation, and therefore old cleavages based on political, economic, social, and cultural lines, and other stereotypes are adversarial to the values of an equitable society. This means divisions based on religion, social status, literacy and illiteracy, gender, and politics must not be allowed to divide citizens and determine how they live as a people.
The President: “Having come from a difficult past, we must seek to reconcile as a people and embark on nation–building, with a common national aspiration to serve as guardrails against social tensions and conflicts. In this regard, I call on our friends on the other side of the political divide, including the opposition parties to join us in fostering a government of inclusion. Our democracy should not be defined by elections where the winner is perceived to have taken all. Instead, our path should not be about the next election but the next generation. We must embrace genuine unity and reconciliation.”
According to President Boakai, he was pleased and proud to report that despite the challenges his government inherited, meaningful progress has been made in key sectors
