By: Prince S. Tokpah, MPA, PMP, PhD Student
Your Excellency President Joseph Nyuma Boakai, as a concerned citizen and advocate for accountable leadership and equitable development, I respectfully write to express the grave concern of Liberia regarding your administration’s recent bid for a non-permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council (UNSC).
While the symbolism of Liberia reclaiming a voice on the global stage may be appealing, we believe this pursuit is both untimely and misaligned with the urgent needs of our people.
Liberia’s domestic realities demand immediate attention. We are grappling with a fragile economy, widespread poverty, poor infrastructure, and a disillusioned citizenry. In this context, the government’s decision to prioritize international diplomacy over domestic recovery is a stark contradiction to your campaign promises under the ARREST Agenda.
History and international prestige must not be pursued at the expense of present-day obligations to your own citizens.
Let us use the basic analysis framework to assess:
1. Feasibility: Can Liberia Afford This Bid?
Yes, Liberia can legally pursue a UNSC seat as a sovereign UN member state. However, a proper policy analysis requires more than legal feasibility—it demands administrative and fiscalrealism.
a. Financial Constraints: UNSC campaigns entail lobbying, international travel, and diplomatic visibility. With inflation exceeding 30% (CBL, 2024), 50%+ poverty rates (World Bank, 2023), and rising food insecurity, this ambition redirects resources from critical sectors like healthcare, education, and agriculture.
b. Institutional Capacity: Liberia’s under-resourced Foreign Service lacks the diplomatic infrastructure to compete with regional heavyweights.
c. Opportunity Cost: The millions required for this bid could rehabilitate roads, fund teacher salaries, or equip rural clinics, help rehabilitate youth struggling with drug addiction across the country. While Liberia can bid, doing so imposes an unjustifiable burden on an already fragile economy.
2. Legitimacy: May Liberia Pursue This Bid? Legally, the bid is permissible, but political legitimacy hinges on public support and alignment with the national mandate.
a. No Public Consultation: The UNSC bid was never part of your ARREST platform
and lacks public deliberation or referendum. There is no evidence of citizen backing.
b. Donor Confidence at Risk: With Liberia dependent on external aid (~10% of
GDP, IMF, 2024), diverting focus from structural reforms could erode trust and
funding. The UNSC bid lacks democratic legitimacy and risks being perceived as
elite symbolism over national interest.
3. Normative Justification: Should Liberia Pursue This Bid? This is the most critical test. Should Liberia, in its current condition, pursue a symbolic global seat when its citizens demand tangible change?
a. Crisis-Level Unemployment: Youth unemployment exceeds 85% (LISGIS, 2023); the bid creates no jobs, improves no roads, and funds no hospitals.
ARREST Agenda Contradictions
Your electoral victory was anchored on the ARREST Agenda, a promise of transformation and national rebirth. However, key pillars of that framework remain in disrepair:
1. Agriculture & Agribusiness: Despite pledges to transform agriculture into an engine of growth, farmers still lack access to modern tools, affordable equipment or storage for produce, and reliable markets.
2. Roads & Infrastructure: The nation’s roads remain dilapidated. Electricity and digital connectivity, essential for enterprise development and service delivery, are still absent in many rural communities.
3. Rule of Law & Good Governance: Not a single major corruption case has been prosecuted under your administration. Transparency remains elusive, while nepotism and inefficiency persist.
4. Education & Human Capital: Teachers remain unpaid in many instances, students lack learning materials, and vocational training is limited—undermining Liberia’s future workforce.
5. Sanitation & Public Health: Waterborne diseases continue to threaten communities due to inadequate water and sanitation infrastructure. Currently, Monrovia is fighting for drinking water to share with its residents.
6. Tourism & Diversification: Liberia’s potential in ecotourism and heritage preservation remains untapped, with no clear roadmap for growth. Liberians cannot afford to play anymore.
Mr. President, this is a call for realignment and accountability. The path to international influence begins with credibility at home. The Liberian people did not vote for ceremonial ambitions—they voted for roads, jobs, electricity, security, healthcare, education, food security, a fight against corruption, asset recovery, and justice for everyone.
I urge your administration to:
1. Suspend the UNSC bid and redirect all associated resources to domestic recovery, and
2. Accelerate the implementation of the ARREST Agenda, with transparent milestones and public reporting.
Let us adopt a Liberia First approach. Our standing in the world will improve only when the dignity of its citizens is restored, its systems function, and its economy is inclusive. A UNSC seat should be a reflection of national progress—not a substitute for it. The true measure of leadership is not global applause but local transformation.
Respectfully,
Prince S. Tokpah, MPA, PMP, PhD Student
Public Sector Centered Project
Management Professional
linkedin.com/in/princetokpah | princetokpah.lr@gmail.com |
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