Selma Lomax
Africa-Press – Liberia. Monrovia — President Joseph Boakai has announced the establishment of a High-Level Presidential Ad Hoc Committee to investigate and recommend practical solutions to the country’s rising cost of living. The Liberian leader’s decision, made during his official address marking the country’s 178th Independence Day celebration at the Centennial Memorial Pavilion in Monrovia, comes in direct response to a call from this year’s Independence Day Orator, Emmett L. Dunn.
Dunn, who serves as Presidential Special Envoy for Partnership and Philanthropy, used his national platform to urge President Boakai to take bold and immediate steps to address the country’s worsening economic crisis.
In a tone both urgent and uncompromising, Dunn said, “A hungry child cannot wait for macroeconomic policy. A farmer without tools cannot wait for committee reports. And a mother who cannot afford healthcare for her child does not need promises, she needs solutions.”
His remarks drew solemn silence from the audience and sparked immediate reaction from President Boakai, who acknowledged the persistent contradiction between falling import costs and stubbornly high prices of goods and services across the country. “This contradiction, where import costs have fallen yet market prices remain high, requires urgent attention,” President Boakai said. “Therefore, I am establishing a High-Level Presidential Ad Hoc Committee to investigate these disparities and recommend practical solutions for our immediate action.”
‘Small, small, we are marching’
The President named Vice President Jeremiah Koung as chair of the committee, citing his experience in both public service and private enterprise. The committee has been tasked with submitting a full report within 45 days. It is expected to examine key drivers of inflation in Liberia’s markets and propose actionable recommendations to alleviate the economic burden on ordinary Liberians.
President Boakai’s speech acknowledged improvements in infrastructure, agriculture, and public health, but he admitted that the tangible benefits of those developments have not yet reached most citizens.
“Transportation costs are too high. The prices of flour, sugar, and other essential goods continue to be a burden. Building materials are still expensive, making it hard for ordinary Liberians to construct homes and businesses,” he said. “Small, small, we are marching toward a happy land by God’s command. But let me be clear: there is still much more to do.”
The President’s Independence Day address was broad in scope, touching on Liberia’s recent diplomatic strides, including its election to a non-permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council. Yet the most resonant portion of his remarks was his focus on economic hardship — an issue Dunn placed squarely at the center of his oration.
In his speech, Dunn painted a vivid and sobering picture of Liberia’s socio-economic divide. “Unemployment remains dangerously high,” he warned. “We cannot afford to let our people drift into despair, or worse, into the hands of those who would exploit their frustration. Too many of our people go to bed hungry while a few grow richer with each passing day.”
Dunn challenged the Boakai administration to move beyond speeches and policy intentions, and instead pursue actions that yield visible outcomes. “My fellow citizens, we cannot talk about true independence without talking about economic independence,” he said. “It is time to confront a painful truth: too much of our economy is owned and controlled by foreign interests.”
He called for the full enforcement of the Liberianization Policy — long a point of contention in national economic discourse — which reserves specific sectors of the economy for Liberians. He also proposed a bold requirement that all future foreign investment deals include a mandatory equity stake for Liberians, either as individuals or through collective institutions.
“Liberia must no longer be a passive observer of our own economy. We must assert our rightful place at the center of national development,” he said.
His proposals extended to the structural and symbolic pillars of national identity. Dunn proposed the establishment of a National Commission on Reconciliation to continue the work of healing past wounds.
He also recommended re-examining Liberia’s national motto. “The current national motto, ‘The Love of Liberty Brought Us Here,’ speaks to the legacy of the freed settlers. While this history is an inseparable part of our national story, the motto fails to recognize or speak to the lived experience and heritage of the vast majority of Liberians,” he said.
‘Youth are today’s innovative’
Turning to Liberia’s youth — who make up over 70 percent of the population — Dunn urged the administration to treat young people not as future leaders, but as today’s innovators and changemakers. “They are not leaders of tomorrow, they are leaders of today,” he declared. “Let us fund youth-led enterprises, create innovation hubs, and integrate young voices into policymaking.”
Dunn also addressed gender equity, warning that Liberia’s development will remain incomplete without the full inclusion of women. “Promoting gender equality is not a favor to women, but a fundamental human right,” he said. He added that domestic relations laws must be enforced to protect struggling mothers and hold absentee fathers accountable.
To the Liberian diaspora, Dunn extended an invitation to move from the margins to the center of national development. “To you in the diaspora, we need you. Not just your money, but your ideas, your expertise, your networks. Return if you can. Invest if you’re able. Speak up. Stay engaged.”
He commended recent amendments to Liberia’s Aliens and Nationality Law that allow dual citizenship for natural-born Liberians and called for the removal of all remaining restrictions.
The orator’s remarks were not limited to the Executive Branch. He urged opposition parties to act with integrity and a commitment to national unity, and reminded public servants across all branches of government to put the public interest above personal gain.
“Opposition parties must be respected, not demonized. They are not the enemy of the state; they are part of the machinery of accountability,” he said. “Stop treating public office as a private enterprise.”
Speaking directly to the spiritual fabric of the nation, Dunn challenged religious institutions to match prayers with practical action. “There is no honor in poverty, and there is nothing righteous about economic suffering when solutions are within reach,” he said. “Let us stop spiritualizing poverty and start dismantling it.”
President Boakai echoed many of Dunn’s themes throughout his own speech. In a gesture of national healing, he reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to reconciliation, citing the dignified reburial of former presidents William R. Tolbert Jr. and Samuel K. Doe, as well as his own public apology for past national failures. “Our development will not endure without reconciliation. Our future cannot take root without unity,” the President said.
He further announced plans to establish a National Memorial to honor the victims of Liberia’s civil wars and the ECOWAS peacekeepers whose intervention helped restore peace. “This sacred monument will not only commemorate the fallen but also serve as a call to conscience for generations to come,” Boakai stated.
President Boakai ended his address with a call for spiritual reflection and national renewal. He declared Wednesday, July 30 as a National Day of Prayer, encouraging citizens to gather in churches, mosques, and homes to seek divine guidance and recommit themselves to peace and national unity. “We should ask for His continued blessing upon our land, and to renew our covenant for peace, unity, and a reconciled Liberia,” the President said.
Source: FrontPageAfrica
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