Published: September 28, 2026
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – President Joseph Nyuma Boakai on Saturday urged Liberians abroad to turn their patriotism into projects. His government used the same gathering to announce work toward the country’s first sovereign credit rating, report record revenue and lay out investment openings designed to draw diaspora capital home.
By Lennart Dodoo
“Let us turn patriotism into participation; participation into projects; and projects into measurable improvements in the lives of our people,” Boakai said in his keynote to the second Liberia Diaspora Annual Conference.
President Boakai told the audience that Liberians abroad are full partners in the country’s future, not spectators. “The Liberian Diaspora is more than a community living beyond our borders. You are an integral part of the Liberian nation,” he said.
He said the conference theme, From Dialogue to Delivery, “means moving from resolutions to responsibilities; from intentions to implementation; and from annual conferences to year-round partnership.” He said every major recommendation from this year’s conference should have a lead institution, a partner, a timeline and a measurable result. He also said the government will present an implementation scorecard when the diaspora meets again.
President Boakai pointed to progress since last year’s conference. He cited the establishment of the Legislative Diaspora Caucus, a stronger Office of Diaspora Affairs funded through the national budget, and work toward a lasting legal and institutional framework for diaspora engagement.
He also marked a major step for investor confidence. Christian Dunbar, senior adviser for investment financing to the president, said Liberia has begun the process of obtaining its first sovereign credit rating, with support from the United Nations Development Programme. A rating would give international lenders and investors an independent benchmark for Liberia’s creditworthiness.
“I’m pleased to announce that we have begun the process to establish Liberia’s first credit rating,” Dunbar said. “UNDP is supporting Liberia in beginning its first evaluation and capacity analysis to start our first credit rating.”
Finance Minister Augustine Kpehe Ngafuan made the economic case for investing in Liberia. He said domestic revenue has passed US$1 billion in a single year for the first time in the country’s 179-year history. Revenue rose from about US$612 million in 2023 to about US$699 million in 2024 and US$848 million in 2025, then crossed the billion-dollar mark by mid-September this year. He said the achievement “belongs to every Liberian, whether at home or abroad.”
“Liberia is no longer merely a country emerging from crisis. Liberia is a country advancing with purpose,” Ngafuan said.
Ngafuan said the economy grew about 5.1% in 2025. He said the International Monetary Fund projects about 5.5% growth this year, driven by mining, construction and manufacturing. He said inflation averaged 4.5% in the first half of the year and the Liberian dollar has remained broadly stable.
He listed projects under way across the country:
- a 255-kilometer road network strengthening links with Sierra Leone
- a new bridge across the Cavalla River to Côte d’Ivoire, targeted for completion in March 2028
- electricity access expanded from about 32% in 2024 to about 40% today
- a national electronic payment switch, targeted for March 2027, that will link banks, mobile money platforms and government payment channels
He said the Central Bank of Liberia launched the first phase of the switch in December 2025, connecting Lonestar Cell MTN and Orange Money.
“We do not present Liberia as a country without problems. We present Liberia as a country increasingly capable of solving problems,” Ngafuan said.
Boakai said the government recognizes its own obligations in the partnership. “Partnership must be reciprocal,” he said. He said the government must make returning home, investing and sharing expertise “practical, predictable, and worthwhile.”
He asked the diaspora to leave the conference with five commitments:
- organize diaspora groups, professionals, businesses, youth, women and diplomatic missions into a coordinated global community
- connect professionals abroad to national needs through teaching, mentoring and advisory service, even without relocating
- turn diaspora capital into productive investment
- connect young Liberians abroad to their heritage through internships, mentorship and exchange
- measure delivery
The United Nations’ top official in Liberia praised the country’s record of sustained peace and told the audience they are central to its future. “Liberia’s diaspora is not outside Liberia. It is Liberia,” she said. “The world is learning a lot from you in that respect,” she said of Liberia’s peace. She pledged U.N. support for a voluntary national diaspora registry to match diaspora skills and contributions with needs across the counties.
Al-Hassan Conteh, Liberia’s ambassador to the United States, presented the government’s first rapid survey of Liberians abroad. Drawing on responses from missions and host-country statistics, it estimated 211,844 Liberians across 22 countries. Most of them live in the United States, Ghana, Côte d’Ivoire, Nigeria and Sierra Leone. Conteh said 63% of those counted are in their prime working years. He also said Liberians abroad are concentrated in health care, education, business, technology and engineering. Boakai welcomed the survey and called for a regularly updated diaspora information system.
Investors at the conference brought concrete offers. Mustapha Njie, founder and chief executive of TAF Africa Global, said his company has entered a public-private partnership with the government to build 10,000 affordable housing units. The first phase is about 500 homes in Bentol, with indicative prices starting at US$56,650. “My fellow Liberians in the diaspora, this is your moment,” Njie said.
The National Investment Commission said a special agro-industrial processing zone in Buchanan should come online by early 2027. The Liberia Chamber of Commerce said it is building a portfolio of investment-ready Liberian businesses and offering diaspora investors guidance through its trade desk. “We’re here to support you at the Liberia Chamber of Commerce,” a chamber representative said.
A National Port Authority deputy managing director said the Freeport of Monrovia now runs 24-hour operations, has digitized gate access and is recording 20% growth in financial performance.
Boakai also said Liberia’s 2026-2027 term on the U.N. Security Council gives the diaspora a larger role abroad. “Diaspora diplomacy is not a substitute for the work of Government. It is a force multiplier for the work of the Republic,” he said.
He closed with an invitation. “To those who can return permanently, we welcome you. To those who can return for a season of service, we welcome you,” Boakai said. “Liberia will no longer move backwards.”
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