Liberia: As President Boakai Prepares to Appoint Modad’s Alternative, FPA Profiles Potential Picks
Monrovia – Since the resignation of Commerce Minister Amin Modad, President Joseph Nyuma Boakai and his administration are as soon as once more trying to find an appropriate candidate to fill the emptiness.
By Gerald C. Koinyeneh, [email protected]
As was the case when former Finance and Development Planning Minister Boima Kamara resigned, a number of high-profile names have emerged as potential replacements. While some candidates are quietly positioning themselves, others have brazenly expressed their want to tackle the function of Minister of Commerce.
One of President Boakai’s key duties is to construct a resilient economic system the place Liberians can thrive, and the Ministry of Commerce is an important authorities company that the President is counting on to attain this imaginative and prescient.
Established in 1972, the Ministry of Commerce and Industry is answerable for selling, growing, regulating, and increasing industrial and industrial enterprises in Liberia. A profitable businessman and former consultant to the World Trade Center. However, Modad quickly discovered himself entangled in a sequence of challenges that finally led to his resignation.
Though President Boakai has appointed an performing minister, insiders revealed that the administration is working behind the scenes to discover a everlasting alternative for Modad.
FrontPage Africa takes a more in-depth take a look at the names being thought of inside the corridors of the Executive Mansion.
MOLLEY KAMARA
Molley Kamara, is the present Senior Economic Advisor to the President. Before the Boakai administration, Kamara was comparatively unknown. Upon his appointment, Kamara knowledgeable FrontPage Africa that he holds a level in Economics from Rutgers University – New Brunswick, and an MBA in Finance and Entrepreneurship from the Wharton School of Business.
In 1998, Kamara served as an Economic Advisor to Benjamin William Mkapa, the third President of Tanzania, who held workplace from 1995 to 2005. Mkapa’s election in 1995 was largely pushed by an anti-corruption marketing campaign, bolstered by the sturdy help of former President Julius Nyerere. Mkapa’s efforts included establishing the Presidential Commission on Corruption (Warioba Commission) and strengthening the Prevention of Corruption Bureau.
According to Kamara’s LinkedIn profile, he labored for lower than a yr in 2009 on a United Nations undertaking centered on provide chain administration.
Kamara is credited with providing each monetary and ethical help to President Boakai’s marketing campaign. Despite his sturdy ties to Boakai and former Speaker Alex Tyler, his perceived temperament has led some to query his suitability for a outstanding place. During a current journey with the President, Kamara allegedly misplaced his mood, an incident that detractors are reportedly utilizing to problem his bid for a key put up.
However, as this story went to press, a number of sources confirmed to FrontPage Africa that Kamara stays a contender.
Luther Tappeh
Reverend Luther Tarpeh has skilled a gradual rise in politics following his profitable bid for the Unity Party’s chairmanship in 2022. A veteran educator, Rev. Tarpeh was thought of a possible cupboard minister in the course of the formation of the Unity Party-led authorities after the election. However, regardless of his prominence, President Boakai solely appointed him to serve on a few boards.
Rev. Tarpeh, broadly referred to as a motivational speaker, first declared his intention to enter nationwide politics in December 2019. At that point, he introduced his membership within the opposition Unity Party, stating he would not “sit on the fence.”
Since the resignation of Commerce Minister Amin Modad, President Joseph Nyuma Boakai and his administration are as soon as once more trying to find an appropriate candidate to fill the emptiness. As was the case when former Finance and Development Planning Minister Boima Kamara resigned, a number of high-profile names have emerged as potential replacements. While some candidates are quietly positioning themselves, others have brazenly expressed their want to tackle the function of Minister of Commerce.
During his declaration on the Unity Party headquarters in Congo Town, Tarpeh expressed his dedication to help the occasion’s efforts, work alongside its members, and discover lasting options to revive dignity to the lives of Liberians. Known for his motivational talking, he emphasised that his choice to hitch the Unity Party was to not displace anybody however to collaborate with like-minded Liberians to make sure the nation’s success on the continent.
Rev. Tarpeh additionally highlighted his compassionate coronary heart for the underprivileged, explaining that his transfer to the Unity Party serves as a reminder that Liberians are bored with politicians who search private achieve relatively than genuinely serving the folks’s pursuits.
H at present serves as Chairman of the Board of Directors of the NTA. He has been vocal in opposition to perceived corruption in Government.
Scholastica Tanneh Nyenkan-Nimely
Madam Nyenkan-Nimley is at present serving because the Acting Minister of Commerce and Industry. She will maintain this place till the Liberian Chief Executive appoints a everlasting alternative, in response to an Executive Mansion launch.
Madam Nyenkan-Nimley’s appointment follows the resignation of Mr. Amin Modad, who served as Minister from February 2024 till his formal resignation on Wednesday, October ninth.
As Deputy Minister for Administration, Nyenkan-Nimley has labored intently with former Minister Modad for the previous eight months, overseeing the Ministry’s administrative capabilities. Her duties embrace guaranteeing the environment friendly operation and coordination of the Ministry’s numerous departments, in addition to implementing insurance policies, procedures, and rules aligned with the Ministry’s aims and the Liberian authorities’s broader imaginative and prescient.
Inside sources says, she is being thought of for the function of a minister correct. However, this hinges on her efficiency as Acting Minister.
Leelai Kpukuyou
Leelai Kpukuyou made headlines final week when, in an open letter to President Boakai, she expressed her curiosity in succeeding Amin Modad as Minister of Commerce and Industry.
In a Facebook put up, Madam Kpukuyou shared that her ambition is pushed by an unwavering ardour to serve her nation. She added that it will be an honor to characterize ladies who’re paving the best way for what’s potential in Liberia.
“It would be my humble honor to serve as Liberia’s next Minister of Commerce and Industry and to represent a demographic of women paving the way for what’s possible,” she wrote.
Madam Kpukuyou acknowledged that her bid may appear untimely, determined, or unconventional to some, given the circumstances. However, she clarified that there’s nothing incorrect with stepping ahead to serve when one feels the calling.
She said that her pursuit of the place is rooted in patriotism and is important to carry her experience and data to strengthen Liberia’s home personal sector and construct a powerful, coherent relationship with the overseas direct funding neighborhood for the good thing about the Liberian folks.
“In the context of our society, this might seem too early, desperate, or unconventional to many, especially given all the circumstances. I might be laughed at, gossiped about, or ridiculed. I may even face public disrepute from those who feel their opinions or personal interests are superior to my intentions. Some might say I’m not part of the inner circle and therefore stand no chance. I’ve thought long and hard about all these variables and decided to proceed. After all, what do I stand to lose? Nothing! Instead, I gain a sense of pride for doing what I believe is patriotic and necessary—bringing forth my expertise to strengthen Liberia’s domestic private sector and foster strong relationships with foreign direct investors for the benefit of the Liberian people,” she defined.
Madam Kpukuyou holds a Master’s Degree in Public Sector Administration and a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration, together with certificates in Project Management and Trade Investment. As an entrepreneur with intensive expertise in Liberia’s home personal sector and a deep understanding of overseas direct funding and worldwide partnerships, she has led over a dozen commerce missions and tripartite delegations to establishments such because the WTO, IMF, ILO, UN, AU, and ECOWAS.
Nyah Mantein
Nyah Mantein is a veteran public servant and a stalwart of the Unity Party who has held a number of positions in authorities, spanning each the Charles Taylor regime and the Sirleaf-Boakai administration.
He beforehand served as Deputy Minister on the Ministry of Commerce and as Managing Director of the now-defunct Liberian Produce Marketing Corporation (LPMC) in the course of the Sirleaf administration.
