Heading a delegation and representing Liberia at the Conference of African Senates, President Pro-tem of the Liberian Senate, Nyonblee Karnga-Lawrence, issued a call on African leaders to be nationalists in the truest sense, urging them to place long-term national stability above short-term political gains.
In a very powerful and inspiring speech delivered yesterday, April 8, 2026, in Morocco, Pro-tempore Karnga-Lawrence encouraged her fellow Senate members that the Upper Houses should begin to act as the national conscience of the continent.
She argued that while Lower Houses reflect the will of the majority, the Senate must protect the equality of all regions. According to the head of the Liberian delegation in Morocco, the Senate must function as the stabilizing force, the chamber of balance, reflection, and national conscience.
“We are not here to obstruct progress, but to refine it,” the Grand Bassa County lawmaker noted. As a woman leader herself, she focused her attention hugely on promoting the role of women in high-level decision-making with the example of inclusive governance.
Senator Karnga-Lawrence opined that women’s representation deepens dialogue and fosters more sustainable peace, challenging the conference to actively remove barriers preventing women from entering Upper Chambers across the continent. Advocating for regional harmony, using the Senate to ratify treaties that align legal frameworks across borders, Pro-tem Karnga-Lawrence told the delegation that peace is not self-sustaining.
Madam Lawrence further reminded the gathering, particularly her colleagues, that they are trustees for generations yet unborn, encouraging them to pass laws that will stand the test of time and promote equity long after their terms have ended. She noted that strengthening bodies like ECOWAS and the African Union to ensure that instability in one nation does not dismantle the peace of its neighbours is essential.
The Liberian Senate Pro-tempore is attending the African Senates’ conference in Morocco along with Senator Abraham Darius Dillon, Chair on Foreign Affairs, and Senator Jonathan Boycharles Sogbie, including other support staff of the Liberian Senate.
