By Michael Adeboboye

President, Congress of African Journalists 

In the Liberia’s Presidential Election holding some hours from now, soccer legend and first round leather game icon to mount political mountain and becoming a president in Africa, George Weah will be recontesting in order to retain the seat of the president with other 19 challengers. Over 2.4 million Liberian voters will decide the fate of the gunners to the number one seat in the West Africa country of 5million Liberia’s population.

Indeed, there are 19 candidates joggling to the poll in a bid to wrestle power from the incumbent President George Weah of the Coalition of Democratic Change (CDC). Weah is seeking a second six-year term. However, the power to elect rests on the thumbs of Liberian voters who will decide the nation’s leader for another six years.

In this presidential race, there are two main challengers; former vice president Joseph Nyuma Boakai and businessman Alexander Cummings. Boakai and Cummings were previously in a four-party opposition alliance, the Coalition of Political Parties (CPP). Sadly, the coalition has broken up over who gets the presidential ticket in this election cycle. CDC a party which Weah represents as the candidate seems stronger and better positioned in winning a second term consequent upon the decision to keep current vice president, Jewel Howard Taylor who is the ex-wife of former president Charles Taylor as running mate to Weah in this election. Howard Taylor according to many political pundits is one the strongest political figure in the country whose experience, political weight, compassion and passion for Liberia’s women remain indelible and stupendous. Weah and Howard Taylor are the finest birds in the political next of Liberia.   Weah, 57, former World Best Player is hinging his second term election victory on his many achievements of his administration and manifesto for a second term: a free tuition scheme for undergraduates of public universities that was instituted in 2018. Improved electricity access and reduced costs from 38 cents per kilowatt to an average of 15 cents per kilowatt. Several road constructions across Liberia, Also Weah’s government pays the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) fees for 9th and 12th graders in public schools among others.

According to his manifesto, Weah promised to reduce out-of-pocket payment for medical expenses through a compulsory social health insurance scheme and has also promised to provide off-the-grid solar energy for public hospitals and secondary schools. He has also promised to create sustainable jobs by formalising artisanal and small-scale mining activities and providing public prosecutors with sexual and gender-based violence training.

According to Jewel Howard Taylor, Weah’s running mate in this election, youths are not left behind in the Weah’s government “Youths are critical for the growth and development of any nation. They present a case of a double- edge-sword. On one edge, when abandoned and unemployed, they can be used as instruments to instigate violence and undermine the progress of our nation; on the other edge, when empowered and employed, they can be the engines of growth, innovation and transformation.

At the heart of our Government’s Pro-poor Agenda for Prosperity and Development (PAPD), we highlighted power to the people and economy and jobs to address issues of youth employment. With Loan from the World Bank, we successfully implemented the Youth Opportunities Project (YOP) which was a 10 Million United States Dollars project to improve access to income generation from targeted youth. The Project targeted 15,000 youth from age 15-35 years with 50% being vulnerable female youth. The project focused on life-skills and business training, agro-inputs and tools, and labor subsidies to engage in communal farming, majority of whom were youth in the rural areas. This support allowed them to have productive employment, engage in other income-generating activities, and contribute the development of their communities. Moreover, His Excellency President George M. Weah Launched a 22 Million United States Dollars USAID Youth Advance Project funded by USAID on March 31, 2022. This project seeks to empower more than 21,000 youth in Montserrado, Bassa and Lofa Counties through basic education and foundational skills for improved livelihood and productivity. Notably, the President had earlier launched the Recovery of Economic Activity for Liberia Informal Sector Empowerment (REALISE) project on January 14th, 2022 which focuses on the empowerment of over 19,000 vulnerable youth to reduce poverty and create self-employment.

The REALISE Project is a 10 Million United States Dollars project being supported by the World Bank and Government of France. There are many more interventions of our Government to tackle youth unemployment and they cut across major sectors to include health, education, gender, and agriculture. We continue to see youth unemployment as a major priority and we are committed and will remain engaged with development partners to address same.

She is of high expectation that their administration will get the nod of the electorates for second six-year because of the unprecedented achievements of the first term “Amidst the challenges, our Government inherited an economy grappling with the shocks of a decline in Foreign Direct Investment through the scaling down of UNMIL, the departure of major Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), and the alarming rate of donor fatigue. These occurrences were occasioned by the fact that Liberia had enjoyed relative peace and stability for more than 10 years and should be prepared to take ownership of its economy. We embraced these challenges from day one and began working with the IMF to help in creating macro-economic stability and reducing inflation. We created a balance in wages through harmonization, reduced recurrent expenditure, and created fiscal space for expenditure on various developmental projects. Through fiscal discipline and expansion of our tax base, we increased our internal revenue capacity which has augmented our current budget to about 794.5 Million United States Dollars, the largest in post-war Liberia. At this point, i am truly proud of what we have achieved; considering Covid 19 and the global economic Crisis. There are marked improvement in Education, Health, Agriculture and Gender amongst other sectors.

For example in our Energy sector through the expansion of electricity across the country; is becoming relatively stable, thanks to the purchase of additional power under the ECOWAS Power Pool. In health the county systems are improving, some highlights in this sector are the construction of a fully equipped facility for the Military (the 14 Military hospital); there is a brand new, fully furnished and equipped Emirates Hospital in Gbarpolu; We can now boast of the opening of our first post-war Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Company and we are doing more to equip JFK and all public hospitals across our country. We have also improved the wages of Doctors, Nurses and other health practitioners. They In the education sector we have instituted a free tuition policy for public schools at tertiary levels; the payment of WASSCE fees for 12 graders across our country; building and equipping TVET institutions across the country and the building of needed additional schools in the country. On the overall, I am proud of the achievements so far and the commitment of our partners to do more. President Weah will take the message of our achievements across the Nation to seek a second mandate. This will be done on our Governance Record. I however, looking at the realities across our Nation, expect a resounding mandate from the people of Liberia for a second mandate to continue the amazing work being done”   Joseph Boakai no doubt is a known political figure in Liberia. He is the Unity Party (UP) flagbearer for the presidency. Boakai is 78-year-old former minister of agriculture from 1983 to 1985. He was also vice president from 2006 to 2018, to Johnson-Sirleaf.

For this election, Boakai is in an alliance with the Movement for Democracy and Reconstruction (MDR), founded by former warlord-turned-senator Prince Johnson. Consequently, Boakai has selected MDR senator Jeremiah Koung as his running mate. For many, Boakai’s second attempt at the presidency is a rematch with Weah. Weah eventually got the victory in 2017. Will the table turn this time in favour of Boakai?

Although his relevance in the polical landscape is enormous and his manifesto in respect to Agriculture, road construction to connect county capitals and neigbouring countries to improve cross-border trading, fastrack cases of corruption and economic crimes and support private sector in developing programmes for recycling solid waste into producing renewable energy can be impressive. However, critics said that at age 78 years, Boakai is too old to govern. There are also reports hinging on incapacitation because of health challenges.

Alexander Cummings appeared on the political landscape of Liberia and in 2017, he took the first shot at the Liberia’s presidential seat. He was placed in the fifth position this 2023 presidential election he is the Standard bearer on the platform of the Collaborating Political Party (CPP), a coalition between Cumming’s Alternative National Congress and the Liberty Party. Cummings is 57 and his campaign focuses on diversifying Liberia’s economy with a promise to establish a $20m empowerment fund to support women and youth-owned businesses as well as farmers within his first 100 days in office if he wins, while freezing all current tax and regulations to review in order to create a business-friendly environment. His campaign also bothers on prirotising buying locally-made products to boost indigenous businesses.

Boakai second attempt: a rematch with Weah

Cummings, the former head of Coca-Cola’s African subsidiary between 2001 and 2008 and as its global chief administrative officer from 2008 till he retired in 2016 expressed support for the establishment of a war crimes court to prosecute key characters in the country’s civil wars of 1989-1997 and 1999-2003.

Apparently, the day is here and Liberians are going to the polls in order to elect their president who will run the affairs of the country for another six years. While the fate of all presidential candidates are still in the custody of the voters, it is not yet clear where the pendulum swings and what will inform Liberians voters choice. However, it appears that President Weah with the choice of Howard Taylor is a plus. The CDC in unified and stronger with the choice of Weah, who is boasting of his achievements in office and Howard Taylor who has touched various homes in and outside Liberia in a special way with her international Jewel Starfish Foundation established in the year 2000.

Cumming: can he come from fifth position in 2017 to the first in 2023?