Published: August 17, 2026
Monrovia — Minister of Local Government Francis Sakila Nyumalin on Saturday, August 15, 2026, launched the third phase of a peace and cultural outreach for Lofa County, hosting Kpelle elders and traditional leaders at his residence in VOA Community. Held outside Lofa, the program is part of a broader plan to unite the county’s six major tribes ahead of the end of President Joseph Boakai’s administration.
The festivals are being conducted separately by tribe. Prior gatherings have already been held for the Gbandi and Lorma, and the Mandingo event is set for August 29. Each meeting convenes elders, Zoes, and cultural practitioners to discuss unity and conflict prevention.
“How do we do it? By identifying the practitioners and bringing them together. And so we started with the Gbandi people. Next in line, we brought in the Lorma people. Today, the Kpelle,” he asserted.
Minister Nyumalin said the initiative is driven by both national stability and Lofa’s post-Boakai future. He argued that with a peace-loving president in office, Lofa has a responsibility to model reconciliation and set the tone for the rest of the country.
“If this country is to be peaceful, because we have a peaceful leader, a peace-loving leader, then we have to restore peace across this country; Lofa must take the lead and must start it with Lofa,” he maintained.
He framed unity as an urgent political and development question, warning that the county must account for 12 years of having the presidency. According to him, the only credible answer is a united Lofa that can negotiate development and influence after 2029.
“After holding on to the presidency of this country for 12 years, what did Lofa do for itself? Or for herself? The beginning of the answer to that question is, Lofa must unite, and we must do so now.”
To do that, the Minister is anchoring the process in culture and tradition. Nyumalin said traditional respect structures remain Lofa’s strongest mechanism for managing differences, and reviving them is key to healing divisions that resurfaced during the 2023 elections.
“We believe that our cultural and traditional norms and values have been used over time as the bones tying us together. When a Kissi man speaks, the Kpelle man will not speak, the Lorma man will not speak, the rest will not speak,” the former Lofa District One lawmaker stated.
The outreach will culminate on November 29 with a county-wide assembly of all six tribes in VOA Community, timed to the eve of President Boakai’s birthday. Organizers say the event is intended to showcase a united Lofa front and to secure presidential backing for county development priorities.
Another phase is planned for the Christmas period in Voinjama. Minister Nyumalin said he is working with the Lofa Legislative Caucus to convene a reconciliation forum that will include youth, women, religious leaders, Zoes, and persons with disabilities, to address grievances from 2023 and clear the path for investment.
Nyumalin insisted the process is non-partisan and focused on governance, not elections. He thanked President Boakai for recent Lofa appointments and said the county must use the remaining years of the administration to consolidate peace so that Lofa can lead national reconciliation efforts.
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