KEYNOTE ADDRESS by H. E. Ellen Johnson Sirleaf Naymote Partners for Democracy and Accountability March 5, 2025 – Bella Casa Hotel

Excellencies and Official of Government

Mr. Executive Director

Naymote Partners

I thank the organizers for the invitation to speak at this Summit for Democracy and Political Accountability. I understand that attendees and participants include representatives of government, youth and women groups as well as civil and political leaders. Each of you represents a vital thread in the fabric of our country’s evolving democratic experience. Each of you have crucial roles to play if the experience is to become and an enriching one.

The Global Environment

There is no doubt that the world is at a crossroads. The major powers of the world in collaborative unity as North Atlantic organizations (NATO) are in a state of division and disunity as geopolitic rivalry surge, driven by Protectionism and Populism. The war continues in Ukraine and Russia, Isreal and Gaza remain at war as thousands of people, particularly women and children, are killed, maimed, exiled, and are destitute for lack of food, clear water and health services.

Africa faces a similar state of uncertainties, complexity and four ECOWAS nations have chosen their own political and development paths.  The conflict in Sudan wages on and the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda now face off with the likelihood of devastation conflict.

In the midst of all this the United States, the world largest power has signaled profound changes in the national, political, economic and social order with undetermined effect on nation around the world.

How does Africa react? What does Africa do?  The message coming from the African Union Summit held a few weeks ago is clear; Africa welcomes these global shocks as enablers for the long standing structural and systemic changes that are required across all African nations for the achievement of Africa 2063and sustainable development.

As Africa leads toward the achievement of goals inspired by theme for 2025 “justice in Africa through Reparation”. What are the expectations and entitlement in a world so besieged by complexities and uncertainties.

While we applaud Africa’s set goals of self-reliance, self-determination, we must rightly realize these goals are mainly aspirations and could only be achieved through strong national, and regional continental leadership that are committed to the true unity of Africa, through a disruption of historical bilateral relations of trade and finance, replaced by well formulated goals and programs through its flagship operations the Africa Continental Free Trade Agreement.

This Summit could not be convened at a more reflective and challenging time for our country. Today, perhaps more than ever before, we confront the daunting challenge of a dismal economic outlook, and the increasing prospect of looking only to ourselves to improve the conditions of living in our country. To put it more bluntly, today, more than ever, we are on our own.

There is no UNMIL and there will be no international force in our country to turn to our nation’s security if we choose to break our own laws. Therefore, now is not the time for members of our national security institutions to be engaged in public scuffles among themselves that can only serve to undermine public trust and confidence in their sworn duty to maintain and enforce law and order.

Also, now is definitely not the time for the Supreme Court to deliver an ambiguous ruling that may take us away from a peaceful resolving of the knowingly disruption unfolding in another important branch of the government.

This is also not the time for Legislature to spend time bickering and spending the nation’s reserves in the interest of accumulation of power and benefits.

The truth is that there will always be consequences when we act with courage to do the right things or falter in dereliction by pretending blindness in the face of an obvious wrong.

May I remind that courage is the cornerstone of our nation. It took courage to declare our independence, to conclude an end to our wars, and to defeat Ebola. Courage is a part of our national DNA. I say this to inspire all of us, and to make the point that now, and always, it will require our inherited courage to journey to our destiny of democracy, inclusive development, unity, and political accountability.

My fellow Liberians:  Now, also, is not the time for weakening legislative oversights; so that we continue to act in fulfillment of narrow self-interests and what is best for a party over what is necessary for our country. Partisan legislators may make for a strong political party, but statesmen and women legislators will make for a better country.

If a legislator and legislature wish to imprint their names in history, to be remembered fondly and honorably, choose being a statesman or stateswoman. This will mean standing alone sometimes. Being right and true to one’s principles can sometimes mean standing alone, and acting on the courage of one’s conviction, rather than being lost unconscionably in a crowd and disrobed of both conviction and principles.

Today, the duty to do the right thing has never weighed more heavily on us, leaders and citizens.

According to the World Bank, Liberia’s GDP growth rate fell to 0.4% in 2024, emphasizing the urgent need for economic reforms. Only 28% of the population has reliable access to electricity.  Only about 5 out of every 10 Liberians can read and write, with literacy rate at approximately 48%. Challenges in healthcare quality and access remain daunting. The reality of the circumstances our nation is faced with today must compel us to govern ourselves more responsibly, and accountably. These   statistics should not frighten us. They should embolden us to act, being more mindful and determined to right wrongs, rather than repeat them, and to fight abuse, waste and corruption, rather than making excuses to continue them.

If it was wrong yesterday, it has to be similarly wrong now. Repeating a wrong will not somehow make it right. In the history of mankind, it never has, and never ever will be.

IT BEGS BEING REPEATED: OUR COUNTRY IS IN DIFFICULT AND UNUSUAL TIMES, AND WORSE, WE ARE ON OUR OWN.

In democracy and development, good intentions are never enough, if unsupported by decisive actions.  And so, for example, having the best laws written in our constitution is no guarantee that we will live under the rule of law. The good intentions of the written law must always be supported by the accompanying will to enforce the law without fear or favor. By a combination of continuous conviction of courage to do the right things, leaders and citizens must ensure that laws are always obeyed and enforced without discrimination or regard to status.

When citizens become wanting in their duties to be involved, participatory, democracy will inevitably falter, corruption will fester, and the nation and its people will drift away from their cherished aspirations. An informed citizenry must stand always ready to hold its leaders to account and be responsive to them. This, too, is why who we elect to be senators and representatives are just as important to our democratic aspirations as the President we elect to lead our country, if not more important.

A docile legislature that is more focused on fanning for legislators rather than looking out for the people they were elected to serve threatens our democratic governance, and our quest for political accountability.

Liberia desperately needs reforms, systemic, economic and judicial.  These reforms need to be bold and comprehensive to successfully respond to the size of the daunting challenges we face, today, with the increasing prospects of being on our own. These reforms must enable us to govern ourselves better than we ever had, being even more mindful and determined to fight abuse, waste and corruption.  At the same time, we must confront the historic legacy that has both burdened and buoyed our nation. On the one hand we are burdened by the legacy of division, disunity and a lack of inclusive development. And on the other, we are buoyed by a legacy of resilience.

As former President, I have seen and experienced both legacies firsthand. Through affirmative programs like direct budgetary appropriations for county development, I imagined we could begin to address the decades of neglect of the rest of our country, which seemed to define Liberia as Monrovia.

We would later commission an investigation of the effective use of the county development program. The investigation informed of abuses of the county development funds by local officials and the county political authorities.

We are happy to note that in its current development agenda, The ARREST AGENDA for Inclusive Development (AAID), attention is refocused on rightly enabling inclusive development at local grassroots levels. The truth is that if every child born in any village in Liberia is not exposed to the same standard of living children in Monrovia are exposed to, albeit with its own challenges, it is a farce to say that all children belong to the same Mother Liberia.

The AAID is laudable. But we urge stronger oversight and safeguards to ward against the use of county development initiatives to satisfy personal political objectives.

No more using the people’s development money to build schools or clinics where no one resides, or to buy earth-moving equipment that never makes it to clearing roads to clinics, schools or markets.

And definitely, we must guide against legislators and superintendents becoming contractors, overseers of contracts and verifiers that the same contracts have been satisfactorily completed when they are not!

We must learn from the past so as not to corrupt good ideas and interventions with loopholes that are easily exploitable. Liberia’s future will only be safe, if all Liberians feel included in the country’s development and benefit equally from its opportunities and resources.

Through trials—civil strife, political instability, and systemic corruption, suffice to say, Liberians have continued to demonstrate resilience in the relentless quest for justice and equitable development. Our past reminds us of both our potential and our responsibility. Yes, we can achieve great things together. But we must each do our part, demonstrating that we have the homegrown capabilities to take on the much-needed responsibilities for our own development. Now is not the time to doubt ourselves, exclude each other nor be overcome by despair.

We must continue to forge ahead standing on the shoulders of those who dared to envision a society governed by the rule of law, where every citizen is empowered to participate, and every public institution is a beacon of transparency and accountability.

Undoubtedly, our governance history is a tapestry woven with both triumphs and scars. The legacy of our founding—rooted in the aspirations of freed slaves returning to build a new society—has been continuously tested by the rigors of conflict, the fractures of civil wars, and the corrosive effects of corruption. Yet, each trial has equally kindled the resolve of our people. Time and again, Liberians have risen to demand integrity, transparency, and justice in our public institutions.  Today, as reports paint a grim portrait of our economic environment, we are reminded that the remedy lies not in despair but in a resolute commitment to reform.

The  imperative of strengthening the rule of law, civic participation, and public sector governance is not a duty that can wait or be deferred much longer because as we know,  a resilient society can only rest upon a bedrock of justice led by judiciary the is independent and robust – one free from undue political influence because an impartial legal framework is not merely an abstract ideal—it is the most important  guarantor of rights, the remedy for wrongs, and the cornerstone of public trust. 

 Accordingly, judicial reforms must seek to bolster independence, including transparent appointment processes and enhanced accountability mechanisms for all public officials.

We must empower civic participation because democracy flourishes when every voice is heard. Inclusive governance means actively engaging the diverse spectrum of our society—from youth to women, from grassroots organizations to civil society leaders every voice matter, so that we leave no one out or behind, as the collective wisdom of our people guide policymaking and the direction of our nation. Therefore, I proffer the recommendation that we Institutionalize regular, meaningful citizen consultations and participatory budgeting initiatives begun under the Open Government Partnership (OGP), to which we were honored to enroll our country in 2011, allowing communities to directly shape, contribute to, and meaningfully influence the development agenda.

Still in this regard, we recommend the creation of platforms that specifically empower women and youth to steer public discourses, noting that although women hold top positions, including as the head of the Judiciary, only 12% legislative seats are held by women, underscoring the importance of empowering women in government. At the EJS Center for Women Empowerment and Development, we are committed to continuing efforts to remove barriers and restrictions to what women and girls can achieve and will continue to do so.

Finally, my fellow citizens: Our economic challenges are a clarion call to action. Not only are things bad today, but by all indications, they are likely to get worse before they get better. We may have spoken about the need for reforms in the past but now is not the time to only speak of reforms as they have become particularly urgent and decidedly imperative. The systemic and inclusive reforms we urgently need cannot afford to wait These reforms necessarily include reforms to strengthening the rule of law, fostering robust civic engagement, and public sector governance to create a foundation upon which sustainable development that benefits every Liberian citizen, can flourish, thereby restoring public confidence at home and our nation’s reputation on the global stage.

Let us remember that every reform we champion today is an investment in a tomorrow where our children can grow up in a society marked by justice, equality, and opportunity.

The path ahead will not be easy. The transformation our nation needs can only be achieved through bold visioning, persistent effort, unwavering accountability, and courageous sacrifices. to dream and act beyond the constraints of the past or the naysaying of the present.

As you leave this summit, let it not be said that this was just another opportunity to dialogue, but that you arouse the conscience of the nation and energized it to action toward a future filled with hope, prosperity, and justice for all, and away from its past of exclusion, strives and division.

Thank you.