Africa-Press – Liberia. Finance and Development Planning, Minister Augustine Kpehe Ngafuan, has reaffirmed the Government of Liberia’s commitment to building a disciplined, professional, and constitutionally grounded military, declaring that “leadership in uniform is rooted in service and sustained by sacrifice.”
Delivering his keynote address Monday at the graduation ceremony of the Armed Forces of Liberia (AFL) Officer Candidate School (OCS) Class 12-2025 at the Barclay Training Center (BTC), Ngafuan said the commissioning of fifty-six new officers marked more than the end of a training cycle.
Accordingly, he said it symbolized a quiet but deliberate strengthening of the Republic’s foundations.
“We gather to mark the end of a training cycle, we affirm something deeper and more enduring: the Republic of Liberia is strengthening its foundations, quietly, deliberately, and with discipline,” Ngafuan told the graduating officers.
The OCS Class 12-2025 is composed of officers drawn from within the enlisted ranks, including medical personnel, band members, and combat officers, a composition Ngafuan described as a reflection of a modern and evolving military institution.
“Among you are medical professionals, band members, and combat officers, all drawn from the ranks of enlisted soldiers,” he said.
He added, “This composition is commendable. It reflects an institution that values specialized skills and leadership development from within its own ranks.”
Addressing the different categories of graduates, the Finance Minister emphasized duty beyond rank. To medical officers, he said, “The nation expects them to combine military discipline with compassion and clinical excellence.” To band officers, he stressed that their role goes “beyond ceremony and tradition,” noting their responsibility in “preserving military heritage, inspiring morale, and strengthening unity and pride within the force.”
For combat officers, many of whom served as enlisted soldiers, Ngafuan said their prior experience must now shape their command style. “That experience must now inform your leadership, empathy, and command responsibility,” he said.
Ngafuan reminded the graduating officers that the Republic is now placing its trust in them, urging them to exercise authority with restraint and loyalty to the Constitution.
“The people trust you to lead with discipline, to exercise authority with restraint, and to act at all times in defense of the Constitution and the rule of law,” he said.
Quoting former U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower, Ngafuan warned that integrity must guide their leadership. “The supreme quality of leadership is integrity,” he said, adding that integrity is essential “when pressure is high and temptations arise.”
He stressed that Liberia’s painful history demands a different kind of military ethos. “The army stands as a force for good, not evil. Our people should flock to it, not flee from it,” Ngafuan declared.
“This generation of officers is being trained differently, supported differently, and expected to lead differently,” he added, noting that the AFL must remain guided by “law, civilian oversight, and constitutional order.”
Ngafuan cautioned against arrogance and abuse of rank, reminding the graduates that true leadership is earned, not imposed.
“Leadership is not primarily about rank. It is about example,” he said. “Your authority should flow not from rank alone, but from trust earned through conduct, restraint, and professionalism.”
He warned, “If you find yourself constantly wielding your title to intimidate, woe to you,” urging officers to focus on earning respect through character rather than command.
As the graduates prepared to embark on their careers as commissioned officers, Ngafuan urged them to remain guided by the timeless military creed: “Duty, Honor, Country.” “For a soldier,” he said, “those are the primary things that matter.”
Turning to government support for the military, Ngafuan declared that Boakai administration commitments to the AFL are now being matched with concrete financial backing through the FY2026 budget.
“As Minister of Finance and Development Planning, let me speak to the concrete support we have given to enhance this transformation,” he said.
He disclosed that in the FY2026 approved national budget, the Ministry of National Defense received an allocation of US$20.7 million, with US$18.3 million directed specifically to the Armed Forces of Liberia. Of that amount, more than US$12.7 million is earmarked for compensation.
“The budget speaks,” Ngafuan emphasized. “These achievements are promises made by the President, and they are promises kept. They are no longer just vision statements. They are line items, already budgeted, and actively being executed for the progress of our nation.”
He further announced a US$500,000 allocation under the Public Sector Investment Plan for the renovation of AFL barracks, building on completed works at BTC Barracks, Camp Jones, Camp Whisner, and Camp Grant.
According to him, these improvements have “had a tangible impact, enhancing accommodation and strengthening family stability for soldiers and their dependents.”
He also highlighted continued support to the 14th Military Hospital, expanded Coast Guard patrols up to 200 nautical miles offshore, the reactivation and deployment of three AFL units, extended operations along Liberia’s western borders, and budgetary provisions to recruit about 500 new personnel into the AFL.
In one of the most personal moments of his address, Ngafuan recounted an encounter with soldiers in Gbarnga that, he said, reinforced the human impact of government policies.
“They did not come with hostility; they came with heartfelt appreciation,” he recalled. “They spoke with emotion about the changes we had introduced: the salary adjustments, the improved living conditions, and how these reforms had touched their lives and the lives of their comrades.”
Accordingly, he said, the soldiers told him that improved budgetary support allowed them “to provide for their families with dignity” and serve without “the constant burden of unpaid bills or the despair of deferred dreams.”
“That encounter reminded me, in the most human way, that service is not measured only by policies written or programs launched,” he said. “It is measured by the dignity restored to ordinary lives.”
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