LIBERIA’S PRESIDENT JOSEPH BOAKAI: FACTS I BET YOU DID NOT KNOW ABOUT HIM

President Joseph Boakai, the 26th and current president of Liberia, is a remarkable figure in Liberian history and has a life story filled with determination, resilience, and unwavering commitment to his country and its people. I bet you didn’t know these facts about him!

1. He was born in humble beginnings in the remote village of Wasonga in Lofa County.
2. He walked more than 300 miles twice from Warsonga to Monrovia in search of his dream to be educated.
3. He bounced from one family home to another until he enrolled at and graduated from the College of West Africa (CWA), one of Liberia’s prestigious secondary schools. 
4. He graduated from the University of Liberia in 1972 with a bachelor’s degree in business administration.
5. He worked with the Federation of Liberian Youth (FLY) and the Danish Youth.
6. He was active in organizing and fundraising for the rural electrification of Foya Kama.
7. He owns LUSU Resource Corporation and co-owner of Agro Machines Liberia.
8. Boakai has served as chairman of Liberia Finance and Trust Corporation
9. He was a founding member of Bethesda Christian Mission, founding organizer of African Methodist Episcopal University, founding organizer of the C.W.A. Methodist University, and ambassador of the Liberia YMCA.
10. He introduced many reforms and innovations, empowering cocoa, coffee, and oil palm farmers by improving their incomes. 
11. He worked as a resident manager and managing director for the Liberia Produce Marketing Corporation, becoming the first Liberian to occupy that position.
12. He served as Managing Director of the Liberian Petroleum Refining Corporation (LPRC) under the Interim Government of National Unity at the time of the Liberian Civil Conflict.
13. When peace was finally restored to Liberia in 2005, Mr. Boakai was elected Vice President under President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, a position he held for 12 years.
14. When President Sirleaf’s two terms ended, Vice President Joe Boakai ran for president in 2017 but lost to  George Weah in a runoff that year.
15. Boakai proved highly disciplined and honest though the wages were low while working in the Business Office at CWA.
16. Never was he subject to disciplinary action by the school. He displayed the same model behavior through college and his public life. 
17. Joe Boakai has been providing humanitarian assistance to the needy in Liberian society all his life, and since 2006 has stepped up such interventions.
18. Joe Boakai has always served his country, people, and humanity.  In high school, he was a member of the Hi-Y. He was associated with the YMCA in College and throughout his adult life.
19. He became a founding Federation of Liberian Youth (FLY) member. He is also a strong Rotarian and served as president of the Monrovia Rotary Club.
20. He has provided hundreds of local and international scholarships for Liberians, some of whom have since graduated and are making significant contributions to national development. He has also funded medical treatment and care for many.