The Government of Liberia, through the Office of Diaspora Affairs, has announced the appointment of Ambassador Emmett Dunn as Chairman of the Planning Committee for the 2026 Diaspora Annual Conference, with Ambassador MacDella Cooper named Vice Chair and Reverend Dr. Francis O. S. Tabla serving as Vice Chairman for Operations.
The high-level appointments form part of a broader national effort to implement Liberia’s Diaspora Strategic Plan (2024–2027), a key policy framework endorsed during the first cabinet retreat chaired by President Joseph Nyuma Boakai Sr. According to a release, the strategy aligns with the government’s ARREST Agenda for Inclusive Development (AAID), which prioritizes stronger engagement with Liberians living abroad.
According to the Office of Diaspora Affairs, the newly constituted National Steering Committee will oversee the planning and execution of the 2026 Diaspora Annual Conference scheduled for September. Also, the committee is chaired by the Ministry of State for Presidential Affairs (Diaspora Office) and co-chaired by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ Diaspora Desk. The steering committee, according to the release, brings together a broad coalition of stakeholders, including key government ministries, civil society institutions, international partners, and diaspora organizations.
Among those represented are the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Commerce, the National Investment Commission, the Liberia National Police, the Liberia Immigration Service, and the University of Liberia Diaspora Center.
International partners such as the International Organization for Migration and the United Nations Development Programme are also part of the initiative. However, prominent diaspora figures and stakeholders have been assigned strategic roles across subcommittees, including finance, fundraising, logistics, and diaspora engagement.
The release said the Union of Liberian Associations in the Americas (ULAA) is also represented, reinforcing the conference’s global reach. Also, the office emphasized that the initiative is a voluntary public-private partnership, not an employment program within the Liberian government.
Head of the Office of Diaspora Affairs, Erasmus Tiampa Williams, described the formation of the committee as a critical step toward strengthening collaboration between Liberia and its diaspora community, noting that the conference will serve as a platform to drive investment, innovation, and national development. The 2026 Diaspora Annual Conference is expected to convene stakeholders from across the world to chart a unified path for Liberia’s growth through diaspora engagement.
