Latest news with #JosephNyumaBoakaiSr
Zawya
5 days ago
- Politics
- Zawya
President Boakai Declares Saturday, July 26, 2025, As 178 Independence Day
The President of the Republic of Liberia, His Excellency Joseph Nyuma Boakai Sr., has by Proclamation declared Saturday, July 26, 2025 as Independence Day and is to be observed throughout the Republic as a National Holiday. According to a Foreign Ministry release, the Proclamation calls on all citizens and foreign residents within the territorial confines of Liberia to observe the Day as such; the release further orders government offices and business houses closed during the observance from 6:00 ante meridian to 6:00 post meridian. The Proclamation requests all citizens, in solemn cooperation with all Prelates, Priests, Deacons, Evangelists, Imams and Elders as well as other members of the Sacerdotal order, regardless of religious creed, to gather together in their respective places of worship in each city, town, village, home, especially in Monrovia, Montserrado County, on Sunday, July 20, 2025 and Friday, July 25, 2025, in observance of the day. The Presidential proclamation also requests citizens of Liberia to offer thanks and praises to God for His blessings showered upon us in past and present times and beseech Him for His continuing goodness and beneficence towards all peoples and nations of the earth, especially, the people of the Republic of Liberia. According to the Proclamation, it is in grateful recognition of the blessings and miraculous deliverances which the Almighty God has extended to us as a Nation and People, although we have been most unworthy of them, to give thanks, adoration and praise unto Him for saving the State and to commemorate the brave and timely Decision of our forbearers on July 26, 1847. The Proclamation is in consonant with the 'Patriotic and Culture Observances Law' title 26, Liberia Code of Law of 1956, which set aside the 26th day of July of each year as a National Holiday to be known as Independence Day and appropriately celebrated as such. The Proclamation further recounted that after due deliberation on the future of the ' Settlement' facing colonial challenges and threats, the Founding Fathers did publish to the World that historic and immortal instrument known as the DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE, by which the Commonwealth of Liberia became, and was presented to the comity of nations, as a free, sovereign and independent State thereby warding off encroachment from any colonial power and becoming the first independent African Republic. According to the proclamation, the official Festive Celebration in observance of the Day will be held at the Centennial Memorial Pavilion, Ashmun Street, Monrovia, Montserrado County; commencing at eleven o' clock ante meridian; under the theme: 'One People, One Destiny: healing the past, Building the Future' 'In His infinite goodness and mercy, God has blessed and prospered the work of the minds, hearts, and hands of all the people of the Republic of Liberia from July 1847 when this nation was declared a free, sovereign and independence state; and from thenceforth, through the years of our national existence, manifold and varied have been the experiences of the nation and its people, who through it all have been able to forge their way by dint of perseverance, devotion and courage.', the Proclamation declares. Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Liberia.
Zawya
6 days ago
- Business
- Zawya
Hope for Liberia's youth as country pioneers African Development Bank-financed Youth Entrepreneurship Investment Bank
Program will turn job seekers into job creators – Liberian President Boakai The future of Liberia's youth cannot be left to hustling – Dr. Adesina Liberia has become the first country to launch an African Development Bank Group initiative ( that will help tackle youth unemployment among African youth. President of the Republic of Liberia, Joseph Nyuma Boakai Sr was joined in the capital Monrovia by the Bank Group's President, Dr. Akinwumi A. Adesina for the official launch of the first Youth Entrepreneurship Investment Bank (YEIB) ( on Tuesday 22 July. The Youth Entrepreneurship Investment Banks will promote private sector-led inclusive economic development, by creating entrepreneurship opportunities for young Africans aged 18-35. According to the Bank's Country Focus Report 2025 ( for Liberia, underemployment and informal employment have long undermined the country's ability to harness a key demographic strength. To address these challenges, Liberia's Youth Entrepreneurship Investment Bank is expected to finance 30,000 youth-led businesses, create 120,000 direct and indirect jobs, contribute $80 million to government revenues through taxes, and unlock up to $500 million in additional lending to youth-owned businesses across the country. The Youth Bank is being jointly financed by the African Development Fund—the concessional lending arm of the African Development Bank Group ($15.9 million)—and the Government of Liberia ($1.2 million in in-kind contributions). "[The YEIB] speaks directly to the heart of our future because over sixty percent of our population is under the age of thirty. This program gives hope to our young people by turning them from job seekers into job creators,' said President Boakai. 'It will provide financing, mentorship, and the skills they need to succeed in agriculture, technology, the knowledge based economy, and other emerging sectors.' 'Liberia must not watch as its best assets—its youth—falter,' Adesina said. 'The future of Liberia's youth cannot be left to 'hustling.'' He added that with recruitment ongoing, and licensing expected to be completed shortly, the Liberian YEIB is scheduled to commence operations in early 2026, with a focus on 'critical sectors with immense opportunities for the youth, including agriculture, value addition with agribusiness, digital services, mining and tourism.' Youth entrepreneurship banks have also been approved for Nigeria ( Ethiopia ( and Cote d'Ivoire ( representing a growing commitment to enhancing private sector development through improved financing for entrepreneurs, on a continent where three-quarters of the population are below the age of 35. The Bank has since 1967 invested more than $1.02 billion in 72 projects in Liberia, and as of February 2024, it had an active portfolio of 18 sovereign operations worth $314.77 million, focusing primarily on transport infrastructure, energy development ( and agricultural transformation. These investments include the Mano River Union road network ( connecting Liberia with neighbouring countries, regional power interconnection initiatives, and programs supporting smallholder farmers across the country. The Bank's operations in Liberia are funded through multiple sources, with the African Development Fund—the concessional lending arm of the Bank Group—providing most of the financing, supplemented by the Transition Support Facility ( and various specialized funds including the Nigeria Trust Fund ( Read President Boakai's speech at the YEIB launch here ( Read Dr. Adesina's speech here ( Distributed by APO Group on behalf of African Development Bank Group (AfDB). Media Contacts: Natalie Nkembuh and Tolu Ogunlesi Communication and Media Relations Department media@ About the African Development Bank Group: The African Development Bank Group is Africa's leading development finance institution. It comprises three distinct entities: the African Development Bank (AfDB), the African Development Fund (ADF) and the Nigeria Trust Fund (NTF). Represented in 41 African countries, with an external office in Japan, the Bank contributes to the economic development and social progress of its 54 regional member countries. For more information:
