Joseph Boakai

Joseph Nyumah Boakai(born 30 November 1944) is a Liberian politician who has served as the 26thpresident of Liberiasince 2024.He previously served as the 29thvice president of Liberiafrom 2006 to 2018, under PresidentEllen Johnson Sirleafand as the minister of agriculture from 1983 to 1985. Boakai ran for president in2017, losing the election toGeorge Weah. He went on to defeat Weah in the2023 election.
Joseph Boakai was born in the remote village ofWorsongainFoya District,Lofa County,on 30 November 1944, and is from theKissiethnic group.He is married toKatumu Boakaiand they have four children.Boakai is aBaptistand adeaconof the Effort Baptist Church.
Active in philanthropic efforts, Boakai supervised and personally financed a 7-mile (11.2-kilometer) rural village road construction near Warsonga in Lofa county,Liberia. He also worked with the Federation of Liberian Youth(FLY) and the Danish Youth to construct a school for 150 students and clinic for a community of 10 villages. He was active in organizing and fundraising for the rural electrification of Foya Kama in Lofa County, Northern Liberia.
Before serving as vice president, Boakai consulted with several institutions, including serving as Chief Technical Advisor on Agriculture Policy, Ministry of Agriculture.He reviewed and evaluated the Liberian 1986 proposed Green Revolution and FAO World Bank1986 Agricultural sector Review Document and evaluated AMSCO, Amsterdam Funded training program for projects in Uganda in 1994 and Tanzania in 1996.
He is the owner of LUSU Resource Corporation and co-owner of AGROMACHINES Liberia.
Boakai has served on many boards, including as chairman of Liberia Finance and Trust Corporation, chairman of the board ofStar Radio, founding member of LOIC, member of the board of theLiberia Baptist Theological Seminary, founding member of Bethesda Christian Mission, founding organizer-African Methodist Episcopal University, founding organizer of theC.W.A. Methodist University,ambassador of the Liberia YMCA, president of LUSU Resource Corporation, and ex-president of the Monrovia Rotary Club.
As vice president, he was the president of the Liberian Senate and presided over plenary sessions of that body for two days each week. He also performed supervisory functions over several institutions and agencies, including the Liberia National Lotteries (LOTTO), the Liberia Marketing Association (LMA), the Liberia Agency for Community Empowerment (LACE), and the National Commission on Disarmament Demobilization Resettlement and Reintegration (NCDDRR).
Boakai attended primary and high school inSierra Leoneand Liberia before graduating from theCollege of West Africa. He later graduated from theUniversity of Liberiain 1972 with a bachelor's degree in business administration.
Boakai went on to work in both the public and private sectors. He worked as a resident manager (1973–1980) and managing director (1980–1982) for the Liberia Produce Marketing Corporation (LPMC).From 1983 to 1985, he served as Minister of Agriculture under PresidentSamuel Doe.While Minister of Agriculture, Boakai chaired the 15 nationWest African Rice Development Association. In 1992, he was the managing director of the Liberia Petroleum Refinery Company (LPRC). He later worked as a consultant to the World Bank in Washington and founded a firm dealing in agricultural equipment and consultancy. He has served as board chairman of the Liberia Wood Management Corporation and the Liberia Petroleum Refining Company.He announced his intention to run for the Liberian presidency, which was scheduled for 10 October 2017.
During the first round of the 2017 elections where none of the candidates who contested was able to obtain 50% +1 votes to become the country's next president, presidentEllen Johnson Sirleafstated on several occasions that she was supporting her vice president.
After the first round, she said she was not supporting the two candidates who made it to the run-off. But she was seen on 21 December 2017 withGeorge Weahat a groundbreaking ceremony for a road leading to his rival's home, Vice President Joseph N. Boakai. This was harshly received by some members of the rulingUnity Party, who considered the president's action as campaigning for Weah. After the photos flooded social media, President Sirleaf clarified on the same day: "I have told theAUthat I am neither supporting Senator Weah nor Vice President Boakai, although it's my right to support either of them in the run-off. I never knew the protocol of the program until I reached to the program. When I got there, I saw SenatorJewel Howard Taylorand Senator Weah; I couldn't tell the both senators to leave because they are both sitting senators. It was Senator Jewel Howard Taylor that gave the shovel to Senator Weah, at which time my head was bent down. So, it was difficult for me to identify the person holding the shovel. But however, I regret that the Vice President wasn't there; this is his road, and he was needed to be here."
When Boakai was asked if he was invited or not, he said that the President never invited him to carry out the groundbreaking ceremony for the road that leads to his home inLofa County.
When the vice president appeared on the Coasta Show, he said one of the reasons the president did not want to support him was his alignment with Chair Wilmot Paye and SenatorVarney G. Sherman.
Boakai was defeated by former football legendGeorge M. Weahin the run-off of the 2017 presidential and representatives elections,but paid an appreciation visit to his county, Lofa.
During his visit, he spoke of his appreciation for his people and urged them to work with the new government. Boakai said, "The purpose of my visit here is to appreciate my people for showing the high level of love and dedication…ensuring that we were successful in the process because they did what they committed themselves to do by voting in their numbers."The election has ended, he said, and there is a new government that will continue the work from where the Unity Party-led government will stop. "I ask that we all rally around this new administration to bring the desired developments that we all want. We should all know thatLiberiahas won, so let us support each other."
Boakai defeated incumbent George Weah in the second round of the2023 presidential election, which was held on 14 November.Taking up office at 79, he was the oldest president of the country.At his inauguration as president on 22 January 2024, Boakai was seen having difficulty in delivering his inaugural address, which he was unable to finish, and was escorted away from the podium, with reports suggesting that he was suffering from heat exhaustion.
In July 2024, Boakai lowered his salary as president from $13,400 to $8,000 annually.