Published: July 17, 2026
DOEMAH TOWN, Lower Margibi County – The Liberia Institute of Public Administration (LIPA) on Thursday graduated 101 professionals from its 2025 and 2026 training cohorts, with government officials, diplomats, and development partners emphasizing that Liberia’s quest for effective governance depends on competent, ethical, and accountable public servants capable of translating policies into tangible results.
The graduation ceremony, held at LIPA’s campus in Doemah Town, Lower Margibi County, was held under the theme “Beyond the Distance: Empowering Leaders Through Learning and Perseverance.” The graduates completed specialized professional programs in public administration, financial management, procurement, project management, monitoring and evaluation, internal auditing, administrative management, human resource management, and public sector policy.
The graduating class comprised Cohorts I, II and III of 2025 and Cohorts I and II of 2026, including customized training for personnel of the Ministry of Health.
Speaking during the ceremony, LIPA Deputy Director General for Training and Manpower Development Nukey M. Richards said the graduates’ accomplishments represented more than the completion of academic programs.
“Today marks not only a successful completion of your studies, but the beginning of a greater responsibility,” Richards told the graduates.
She described the graduates’ achievement as evidence that determination and continuous learning can overcome obstacles, urging them to use their newly acquired knowledge to strengthen public institutions.
“Your success demonstrates that distance, obstacles and adversity cannot prevent determined individuals from achieving excellence through continuous learning and unwavering perseverance,” Richards said. “Today, you stand empowered not only with knowledge, but with the confidence, resilience and character to lead, inspire and make a lasting difference in Liberia and beyond.”
Richards also explained the symbolism behind LIPA’s official colors, noting that the institution’s various shades of blue represent leadership, integrity, public service, learning and excellence. She said the torch featured in the institution’s identity symbolizes education as “the light that dispels ignorance and opens the door to opportunity.”
She then formally accepted the Classes of 2025 and 2026 as graduates of the institution, encouraging them to continue learning while serving with integrity.
LIPA Director General Hon. Nee-Alah T. Varpilah said the graduation reflected the institute’s broader vision of becoming Liberia’s premier center for capacity development.
“Our theme, ‘Beyond the Distance,’ is chosen carefully to remind us of what we’ve come through and where we are going as an institution,” Varpilah said.
According to him, the distance highlighted by the theme extends beyond geography and reflects LIPA’s ambition to become “a national center for excellence in capacity building” serving both the public and private sectors.
He praised the institute’s Board of Directors for supporting reforms aimed at strengthening professional training across government institutions.
Delivering special remarks, Education Minister Dr. Jarso Maley Jallah, herself a former Deputy Director General for Training and Manpower Development at LIPA, described the ceremony as a “welcome home” and praised the graduates for overcoming the challenges associated with studying at the institute’s Doemah Town campus.
“When LIPA moved its training activities to Doemah Town, one of the concerns people raised was that the new location was too far,” Jallah said. “For many of you, that concern became a daily reality. You left home early, traveled difficult roads, managed work and family responsibilities, yet continued returning to this campus because you believed the journey was worth making.”
The education minister said Liberia continues to face significant “distances” beyond physical travel, including the gap between policy formulation and implementation, approved budgets and actual service delivery, and government plans and citizens’ lived experiences.
She said closing those gaps requires competent professionals equipped with practical skills in procurement, financial management, internal auditing, project implementation, monitoring and evaluation, and administrative leadership.
“When procurement is delayed, projects stall. When financial controls are weak, resources are lost. When monitoring is absent, institutions cannot determine what is working,” Jallah said. “The knowledge represented in this graduating class therefore carries national importance.”
She urged ministries, agencies, commissions, local governments, civil society organizations and private institutions to invest more deliberately in staff development through LIPA, emphasizing that professional training only achieves its purpose when graduates apply their knowledge to improve institutional performance.
Delivering the keynote address, Indian Ambassador to Liberia Manohar Brahma described the graduation theme as a reminder that meaningful leadership is built through service, perseverance and lifelong learning.
“Distance is not only about geography,” Brahma said. “There is another kind of distance as well — the distance between where a country is and where it wants to be; between good ideas on paper and good governance in practice; between what a government promises and what a citizen actually experiences.”
He said public administration plays a critical role in bridging those gaps and urged graduates to use their training to strengthen governance and public service delivery.
Highlighting India’s cooperation with Liberia, Brahma said New Delhi continues to support human resource development through scholarships and professional training programs, including the Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC) Program and the India-Africa Maitri Scholarship initiative.
He disclosed that 20 Liberian students this year received fully funded scholarships to pursue master’s and doctoral studies at leading Indian universities.
The ambassador encouraged graduates to embrace learning as a lifelong pursuit, quoting an ancient Indian proverb that says, “Knowledge is the greatest wealth.”
“As you leave LIPA today, you carry more than a certificate,” Brahma said. “You carry a responsibility to use what you have learned to serve better, to lead with integrity, and to help bridge the distance between aspirations and everyday reality.”
The ceremony concluded with the presentation of certificates to the 101 graduates, marking another milestone in LIPA’s ongoing efforts to strengthen Liberia’s public sector through professional training and leadership development.
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