MONROVIA – In Liberia, the pace of progress seems to come to a halt once the sun sets. From limited operating hours of essential services like pharmacies and security to the nightmare of accessing healthcare at night, our country’s development is stifled by a system that effectively runs for only half the day.
In addition to the reluctance to embrace technology, the casual neglect of infrastructure, and the lack of focus on STEM in governance, it becomes clear that we are far from the path to meaningful growth.
How can Liberia develop if our leaders, policies, and systems fail to address these critical issues? It’s time to reflect on where we are headed, and whether we are serious about the future of our country.
My fellow Liberians:
How can we expect Liberia to improve or develop when our country essentially shuts down at 7:00 PM and awakens at 7:00 AM? Running the nation for only 12 hours a day — how does that make sense?
How can we develop when even our security personnel rush home by 7:00 PM before it gets too dark? Shouldn’t safety be a 24/7 priority?
Pharmacies across the country close by 5:30 PM, leaving countless people without access to essential medicines in the evening. How can we build a healthier nation under such conditions?
Transporting the sick to hospitals at night is a nightmare. If you don’t own a car or have someone who can help, you might as well leave it to God. Is this the reality we want for our people?
How can we move forward when we have to force businesses and individuals to accept digital payments as if digital money isn’t as valid as paper money? This hesitation in embracing technology is holding us back.
It’s been 18 years since the days when ministers in the Pres. Sirleaf administration would spend their working hours playing Zuma on government computers. Fast forward to today, many of our officials in the Boakai administration are glued to Facebook, praising their bosses during work hours instead of doing the jobs they were appointed to do. How can we expect progress?
STEM — Science, Technology, Engineering, and Management — remains a foreign concept to many of our policymakers. Ministries and agencies still rely on private email addresses for official communications. How can we expect innovation when even our basic communication infrastructure is outdated?
For over 18 years, we’ve been unable to fix the deplorable road between Freeport and Vai Town, a critical route linking central Monrovia. How does this reflect on our capacity to manage infrastructure?
In Liberia, those with access to running water, electricity, and a car are considered wealthy. This is our reality. How can we hope to thrive as a nation when basic necessities are seen as luxuries?
These are just a few of the critical issues we face. How can we truly expect Liberia to improve or develop under such conditions? My people, I ask you, how? It is time for us, Liberians, to stop accepting the status quo and demand more from ourselves and our leaders. If we want real progress, we must all commit to working beyond the limits we’ve set for ourselves — because a nation that sleeps early will always wake up too late.
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