Roberts Airport Chief Tells LATI Graduates: Don’t Look for Aviation Jobs. Build Them

Published: May 4, 2026

MARGIBI COUNTY — The manager of Roberts International Airport used a graduation ceremony this weekend to deliver a challenge that cut against the grain of what most young Liberians are trained to expect from education: stop looking for a job, and start building a business.

James K. Mulbah, addressing nearly 40 graduates at the Liberia Aviation Training Institute’s third graduation ceremony, told the class that Liberia’s aviation sector does not need more workers filling existing roles. It needs entrepreneurs willing to identify gaps, take risks and build enterprises where none currently exist.

“Liberia does not just need aviation workers; Liberia needs aviation builders,” Mulbah said. “Your skills are more powerful than you think. Where others see limitations, entrepreneurs see opportunity.”

It was a pointed message for a country where trained graduates routinely queue for government positions or established private sector jobs, and where aviation remains an underdeveloped sector despite its strategic importance to trade, travel and regional connectivity.

Mulbah drew the graduates’ attention to what he described as persistent inefficiencies at Roberts International Airport and other entry points, not as complaints, but as a map of opportunity. Gaps in logistics, customer service and technology, he argued, are essentially business ideas waiting for someone with the right training to act on them.

He encouraged graduates to use their coursework in customer service, weight and balance, and airport operations as the foundation for ventures such as travel support services, cargo coordination firms and aviation consulting businesses. He pointed to global trends, drone delivery services, and customer-focused aviation startups as evidence that the industry’s growth edge lies well beyond traditional airline models.

“Successful entrepreneurs often begin with limited resources but maximize knowledge, energy, and timing,” he said.

Mulbah also commended President Joseph Nyuma Boakai for initiating reforms at the Liberia Airport Authority, framing the move as institutional groundwork for the kind of structured, sustainable aviation sector that private enterprise can grow alongside.

“Don’t just aim to work in aviation, aim to transform it,” he said. “The next generation of aviation entrepreneurs who will build million-dollar companies in Liberia are sitting right here.”

Julius Dennis, Director General of the Liberia Civil Aviation Authority, followed with a pledge of continued institutional support, announcing an annual contribution of $1,000 to the institute and two internship slots each year for the top male and female graduates, a modest but concrete commitment to keeping LATI connected to the industry it serves.

Valedictorian Oretha K. Fallah described the moment as one of “joy, pride and gratitude,” and used her address to push back, respectfully but directly, on the gap between classroom training and industry access. On behalf of her class, she called on Roberts International Airport, the Liberia Airport Authority and the Civil Aviation Authority to expand internship and employment opportunities for young aviation professionals.

“We call on these institutions to extend their social corporate responsibility to the aviation student community, to enable us to exercise what we have learned and showcase our talents,” Fallah said.