MONROVIA – Budget hearings in Liberia usually turn on figures, not faces. At the Ministry of Finance, one scientist from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) changed that. Rafael Ngumbu’s case for a Nuclear Authority so impressed Finance Minister Augustine Kpehe Ngafuan that he called him a star. EPA Executive Director Dr. Emmanuel K. Urey Yarkpawolo now wants that praise turned into policy. His essay argues for merit-based recruitment, research funding and room for professionals to present inconvenient evidence. The subtext is pointed. Talent goes unused when recognition carries no budget. Yarkpawolo is asking ministries to reward competence in money, not compliments. Their response will show whether Ngafuan’s instruction was policy or courtesy. THE ANALYST reports.
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Executive Director Dr. Emmanuel K. Urey Yarkpawolo has called for a national strategy to find, train, promote and empower Liberia’s most capable people, drawing on a moment during the agency’s budget hearing at the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning (MFDP) that he said deserves to become a national call to action.
In statement titled “Let Liberia’s Stars Shine: Turning Talents into National Progress,” dated November 8, 2026, Dr. Yarkpawolo recounted how Finance Minister Augustine Kpehe Ngafuan praised an EPA official as one of Liberia’s stars.
Ngumbu Makes Case for Nuclear Authority
Dr. Yarkpawolo explained that after presenting the EPA’s budget, he invited Rafael Ngumbu, the agency’s Director for Research and Radiation Safety, to explain the need for a Nuclear Authority to support Liberia’s development of a cancer diagnosis and treatment center.
Ngumbu, he noted, presented the cancer burdens and explained the consequences the country could face in the coming years if decisive action is not taken.
According to Dr. Yarkpawolo, the presentation connected scientific knowledge to human suffering and public policy.
He stated that the proposed authority is part of the institutional foundation needed to use radiation safely in saving lives, adding that Liberia’s 2026–2030 cooperation framework with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) identifies establishing an independent regulatory authority as a national priority.
Ngafuan, he recounted, was visibly impressed. The minister asked about Ngumbu’s background and, invoking the familiar “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star,” described him as one of Liberia’s stars, before urging his assistants to find such talented people and identify ways to incentivize them.
“That instruction should travel far beyond the hearing room and therefore, the purpose of this essay,” Dr. Yarkpawolo wrote.
‘Liberia Has Stars Everywhere’
Dr. Yarkpawolo declared that Liberia has stars everywhere: in government ministries, agencies and commissions; in private businesses and nongovernmental organizations; and in colleges, universities and high schools.
Some already command international recognition, while others work quietly, waiting for someone to recognize their ability and give them a meaningful opportunity, he noted. “Our responsibility is to find them, train them, promote them, and give them the space to work,” he stated.
He cited Dr. Dougbeh Chris Nyan, the Liberian biomedical scientist whose work on detecting multiple infectious agents has earned United States patents.
Dr. Nyan’s achievements, he argued, demonstrate that Liberian scientific talent can contribute to solving problems of global importance, and such expertise deserves opportunities to strengthen research, mentor young scientists and serve national needs.
In the private sector, Dr. Yarkpawolo pointed to Mahmud Johnson, founder of J-Palm Liberia, as an example of how entrepreneurial talent can connect local resources with better livelihoods.
He noted that the Global System for Mobile Communications Association (GSMA) documents J-Palm’s investment in mini processing mills and digital traceability, helping improve the wild-palm supply chain.
“This is practical ingenuity directed toward rural economic opportunity,” he wrote.
In civil society, he highlighted Alfred Lahai Gbabai Brownell, Sr., founder of Green Advocates, who received the 2026 Elisabeth Haub Award for Environmental Law and Diplomacy.
Brownell’s example, Dr. Yarkpawolo observed, shows that national talent includes legal skill, courage and the ability to help communities defend their interests, adding that public service also happens outside government offices.
“The next generation is already emerging,” he stated, citing FIRST Global’s 2024 Liberia team profile, which featured high school students including Rachel F. Gbatu of Effort Baptist High School, Jeronetta M. F. Beh of Haywood Mission Institute and Prince Kiatamba of Nathan E. Gibson Memorial Academy.
Their interests and contributions span robotics, technology and programming, he noted, urging that such promise be nurtured early through school laboratories, mentors, scholarships and practical projects.
Dr. Yarkpawolo stressed that these examples are illustrative, not exhaustive, noting that many equally capable Liberians have never appeared in a newspaper or received an award. A serious national talent strategy, he argued, must reach all 15 counties, including rural schools and institutions with limited resources.
Lessons From Singapore, South Korea
Pointing out that other countries offer useful lessons, Dr. Yarkpawolo noted that Singapore deliberately connects talent with institutions.
Its Returning Singaporean Scientists Scheme identifies accomplished citizens abroad and brings them into leadership positions in universities and publicly funded research institutes, he explained, adding that Liberia can adapt this principle by matching Diaspora expertise with clearly defined national assignments and adequately supported local teams.
South Korea, he observed, made a similar deliberate investment through the Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST). Its approach combined recruitment of skilled scientists with competitive compensation, research facilities and institutional autonomy, measures that, according to Dr. Yarkpawolo, helped create conditions in which expertise could contribute to industrial development.
Recognition Must Bring Practical Support
“The lesson is straightforward: recognition must lead to practical support,” Dr. Yarkpawolo declared.
For Liberia, he explained, this means transparent recruitment and promotion based on competence, integrity and results; scholarships tied to national priorities and credible opportunities for graduates to apply their training; and competitive research grants, reliable equipment, fair compensation and partnerships connecting schools, universities, businesses and public institutions.
It also means, he added, allowing professionals to exercise judgment, present inconvenient evidence and pursue solutions while remaining accountable for public resources.
“Leaders should welcome capable colleagues and help them succeed,” he stated.
Dr. Yarkpawolo urged that Ngafuan’s appeal become an institutional practice, with every ministry, agency, commission, university, business and civil society organization identifying promising people and developing concrete plans to support them. National budgets, he insisted, should reflect that commitment.
“Our people’s God-given talents are resources entrusted to Liberia. We must use them wisely,” he wrote. “Let us find our best minds, train them, promote them, and give them the space to work. Liberia’s stars are already here. Our duty is to help their light reach the nation.”