Liberian President Joseph Boakai has announced the creation of a High-Level Presidential Ad Hoc Committee to address the country’s soaring cost of living, despite falling import prices.
The move, revealed during Liberia’s 178th Independence Day celebrations at the Centennial Memorial Pavilion in Monrovia, followed a pointed call to action from Independence Day Orator Emmett L. Dunn, who urged immediate steps to ease economic hardship.
Dunn, Liberia’s Presidential Special Envoy for Partnership and Philanthropy, used his address to underscore the urgency of the crisis. “A hungry child cannot wait for macroeconomic policy. A farmer without tools cannot wait for committee reports. And a mother who cannot afford healthcare for her child does not need promises, she needs solutions,” he said, drawing a solemn silence from the audience.
Responding to the speech, President Boakai acknowledged the “contradiction, where import costs have fallen yet market prices remain high,” and pledged to act swiftly. The committee, chaired by Vice President Jeremiah Koung, has been tasked with investigating the root causes of the price disparities and delivering a full report with practical recommendations within 45 days.
While noting progress in infrastructure, agriculture, and healthcare, President Boakai conceded that “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.”
Dunn’s speech placed Liberia’s economic challenges within a wider social context, warning of rising unemployment and widening inequality. “Too many of our people go to bed hungry while a few grow richer with each passing day,” he said, calling for strict enforcement of the Liberianization Policy to protect domestic economic interests and urging mandatory equity stakes for Liberians in all future foreign investments.
He also pressed for broader reforms, including a National Commission on Reconciliation, a review of Liberia’s national motto, greater investment in youth-led enterprises, gender equity measures, and deeper engagement with the diaspora.
Echoing Dunn’s themes, President Boakai pledged to prioritize reconciliation, announcing plans for a National Memorial honoring victims of Liberia’s civil wars and ECOWAS peacekeepers. He also declared July 30 as a National Day of Prayer, calling on Liberians to “renew our covenant for peace, unity, and a reconciled Liberia.”
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