Published: September 13, 2024
The Board of Directors of AllAfrica mourns the untimely death of founding member Richard V. Tolbert, Sr. who passed away in Monrovia on September 2nd.
“Richard was not only a colleague, but a dear friend, a staunch advocate for Africa’s progress and a respected member of the AllAfrica family”, said Amadou Mahtar Ba, executive chair speaking on behalf of the co-founders. “From Day 1, his intellectual contributions helped shape our organization, and we will miss him dearly.”
An early enthusiast for the creation of a pan African media entity to elevate and amplify news from and about the continent, Mr. Tolbert joined the board when AllAfrica was incorporated in 2000 and continued to serve until his passing.
Drawing upon relationships forged during two decades as an investment banker at Merrill Lynch and UBS International in New York – serving as senior vice president successively at both Wall Street firms – he helped attract the ‘Angel’ investors who provided AllAfrica’s start-up capital – the majority of whom were from the continent.
After Ellen Johnson Sirleaf won Liberia’s first election in 2005 following 14 years of conflict and civil war, Dr. Tolbert was tapped to lead the National Investment Commission, where he spearheaded efforts to convince companies and institutions that Liberia was an attractive investment destination.
“I believe that there is tremendous potential for the country,” he told AllAfrica co-founders Tami Hultman and Reed Kramer shortly after taking office in 2006, citing as key assets the country’s “tremendous natural resources, which have hardly been touched” and a growing population eager for jobs.
“The investment climate is looking brighter day by day.” he reported in another interview after 18 months on the job. “Liberia is a rich country which has been poorly managed,” he said. “Now we are turning that around.”
After moving to the private sector in 2010, Dr. Tolbert continued his service on the AllAfrica Board as he focused on advising international firms on doing business in Liberia and across west Africa while heading the Liberia Resources Corporation.
Tolbert’s began his career helping to manage the family-owned Mesurado Group based in Monrovia, after earning a B.A. from Harvard, where he graduated Cum Laude in 1972, and a J.D. from Columbia Law School in 1975.
In 1980, he was forced to flee Liberia after being arrested following a coup by young army officers who killed his uncle, then-president William Tolbert, when they invaded the Executive Mansion to seize power on April 12, and summarily executed 13 other high officials, who included Richard’s father Frank, 10 days later.
In recent years, Dr. Tolbert has been engaged in efforts by the April 22nd Memorial Group to commemorate the 1980 deaths and relocate the bodies from the mass grave where those killed were buried after being shot on the beach. Earlier this year, he announced an agreement with the Liberia Baptist Missionary and Educational Convention for burial on the grounds of the Liberia Baptist Seminary.
“After 44 years, we have found a place to relocate the remains of former President Dr. William R. Tolbert Jr., his 13 government officials, and all those who died with them in the 1980 coup [and whose bodies] were unceremoniously dumped in a common mass grave.” Richard Tolbert said in April. The recommittal is slated to take place in April 2025, he said.
AllAfrica will always be grateful for Richard Tolbert’s commitment to the mission and his contributions to work of our organization and the telling of Africa’s stories. We send deepest condolences to his entire family including his wife Celestine and their children: Renee C. Williams, Rita Tolbert, John H. Tolbert, Richard V. Tolbert, Jr. and Frank E. Tolbert III.
The funeral service followed by internment is scheduled to take place on October 5 at Zion Praise Baptist Church in Bentol, Liberia. In lieu of flowers, the family is requesting contributions to help with funeral expenses and travel by family members to Liberia for the wake and services.
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