Liberia @ 178 -Stocktaking Amid Trials, Hope for Progress

MONROIA – This year’s July 26 makes Africa’s oldest republic approximately two decades shy of a bicentennial celebration, an epic event that has got the country’s citizens wondering about their own fate and that of their nation. The temptation to compare the country’s current state in terms of progress and shortfalls, as juxtaposed against the early years of independence, can be tempting. But many pundits who are inclined to compare and contrast Liberia’s progress in comparison to performances of the present leadership and that of the most recent past regime have opined that Liberia has made remarkable progress but that much more needed to be done, as The Analyst reports.

“We may not be where we want to be; but we certainly are not where we used to be; Happy Birthday Liberia,” said Cllr. Kanio Bai Gbala, stalwart of the opposition Congress for Democratic Change (CDC), on the occasion of his country’s 178^th Independence Anniversary.

Of course, Cllr. Gbala is getting the bashing of his life for his positive celebratory conjecture, but without deciphering the merit of his statement, his own CDC camp has already labeled him a sellout pandering for lucrative contracts from the current regime, especially given the fact that he did not support their call for a widespread July 17 protest purportedly masterminded by the CDC offspring, the Solidarity and Trust for a New Day (STAND) that called out the Boakai regime’s failure to address the pressing livelihood expectations of the Liberian people.

Reality versus propaganda: a stocktaking in review

This year’s celebration of Liberia’s 178^th Independence Anniversary seems indeed remarkable because it commemorates the Joseph Nyuma Boakai-led government’s full one year cycle in office, presenting a unique opportunity for self-appraisal.

The colorful but solemn ceremony bespoke the significance of West African solidarity, witnessed by the attendance of President John Dramani Mahama of Ghana, President Bassirou Diomaya Faye of Senegal, President Julius Maada Bio of Sierra Leone, and President Umaro Sissoco Embalo of Guinea-Bissua. Conspicuously absent was the leader of the Guinean junta.

Seizing the bull by the horn, the host President Boakai wasted no time in showcasing the current state of his country’s affairs.

“Our nation is moving forward. We are building on the gains of the last two decades with focus and determination. We are improving Liberia’s image on the international stage and rewriting the narrative of who we are, as a people, and what our country stands for.

“At home, progress is visible. Our roads are improving, and even in the peak of this rainy season, taxis and commercial vehicles can reach Maryland and Grand Gedeh without the struggles of years past. Our farmers are producing more food, and the price of rice, vegetables, and other local produce has reached the lowest point in many years.

“Small, small, we are marching toward a happy land by God’s command. But let me be clear: there is still much more to do.

“While our economy is making steady progress, our domestic revenue remains limited, and many families continue to feel the weight of high prices. Transportation costs are too high. The prices of flour, sugar, and other essential goods continue to be a burden. Building materials are still expensive, making it hard for ordinary Liberians to construct homes and businesses.

“This contradiction, where import costs have fallen yet market prices remain high, requires urgent attention. Therefore, I am establishing a High-Level Presidential Ad Hoc Committee to investigate these disparities and recommend practical solutions for our immediate action.

“This Committee will be chaired by someone I trust deeply, a dedicated public servant and an experienced businessman, Vice President Jeremiah Kpan Koung. The Committee will work swiftly and submit a comprehensive report within 45 days with clear recommendations to restore fairness and stability in our market system,” President Boakai stated sternly.

Boakai’s honest appraisal of Liberia’s current situation can be gas lighted by his critics in whatever form or fashion, but pundits generally agree that Liberia is on an irreversible course.

“By this time, when Weah hadn’t spent one year in year in office, we saw what happened. The guy built his condos, took money from donor accounts, and did nothing when auditors died mysteriously.

“We shouldn’t compare this regime to Weah. We want Boakai to succeed. But this government has to be serious when it comes to prosecuting corrupt officials,” says Sando Kemokai of Bushrod Island.

And in the words of the July 26, 2025 national orator himself, who spoke on the theme: “One People, One Destiny: Healing the Past, Building the Future”, Reverend Emmett Dunn spoke about Liberia’s turbulent past that summoned the ghosts of doubting Thomases in terms of progress. He, however, recalled the tremendous progress made by the Boakai regime in terms of anti-corruption and governance, reconciliation, infrastructure development, education, agriculture revitalization, health and social services, among other positive impacts that the current government is making.

Corruption, he said, is still deeply embedded in our institutions, and it will take more than policy to uproot it. It will take moral courage and political will from the highest offices to the lowest.

“Unemployment remains dangerously high. We cannot afford to let our people drift into despair, or worse, into the hands of those who would exploit their frustration.

“Economic inequality is widening. Too many of our people go to bed hungry while a few grow richer with each passing day. We must reimagine a Liberia where opportunity is not reserved for the connected, but available to the committed.

“Gender inequality continues to rob our nation of its full potential. Women still face systemic barriers, from unequal pay to unsafe public spaces. We must do more to protect them, empower them, and include them.

“Our education system, while improving, is still fragile. Too many children still sit on floors. Too many schools still lack trained teachers. We must not settle for improvement, we must push for transformation.

“Drug abuse is silently destroying the future of Liberia’s youth, fuelling crime, unemployment, and hopelessness. We must act before it is too late. The issue is both a health epidemic and a national security risk.

“But these are not reasons to despair, they are reasons to act. Liberia cannot fulfill its promise until every citizen, from West Point to Zwedru, from Voinjama to Fortsville, has a fair chance to thrive. The work of building Liberia must involve all of us,” Orator Dunn said solemnly.

“As we commemorate 178 years of independence, let this day not pass as a ritual of speeches and parades. Let it be a day of recommitment. Let us renew our pledge, not only to celebrate our past, but to shape our future. Let us be one people, bound not by convenience but by covenant. Let us walk toward one destiny, not a destiny handed to us, but one we forge together; with faith, with courage, and with love for our beloved Liberia. We have seen what disunity can do. Now, we must choose what unity can build,” orator Dunn implored.

“Of course, the onus is on all of us to ensure that this once glorious land of liberty shall never ever go down the path of ignominy. Liberia is all we have, Liberia is what we want,” says Justin Wantoe, a political science aficionado resident in the Borough of New Kru Town.