Liberia-President Joseph Nyuma Boakai’s attendance of another business conference in the US state of Atlanta, Georgia about three months after attending the US-Africa Business Summit in the same city has sparked public outcry.
The President at the head of several ranking government officials departed Liberia on Monday, August 19, 2024, for Atlanta, Georgia, USA.
He is expected to address the 124th National Black Business Conference (NBB Conference), which takes place from August 21-25, 2024, and attended by influential leaders, entrepreneurs, and policymakers from across the African diaspora.
It is a platform for fostering business collaborations and promoting economic empowerment, an opportunity to engage with global partners and attract potential investment.
Judging from his unproductive attendance of the US-Africa Business Summit in the same city where he was accompanied by plenty government officials with huge financial costs, Liberians are shaky about the essence of taking good number of officials to a conference that might not engender dividends.
A political commentator, Dr. Clarence R. Pearson Sr., has voiced concerns in a write-up: “Boakai Attends 124th NBB Conference in Atlanta: Weighing the Costs and Benefits for Liberia.”
Published August 19, 2024, Dr. Pearson questioned the essence of the President’s frequent foreign trips he said may be more about personal gratification or a means to exploit national budget allocations rather than genuine efforts to benefit Liberia.
Dr. Pearson acknowledged that the NBB Conference is essential in promoting Liberia on the global stage, but equally argues that the benefits of such trips are often uncertain.
He questioned whether the financial outlay for the President’s attendance will result in significant foreign investment or strategic partnerships for Liberia. Instead, they suggest that the resources spent on these trips could be redirected to critical sectors such as education, healthcare, or infrastructure.
He said: “If you ask me, I would bravely say that President Boakai is like an adult who hasn’t had enough toys in his childhood, that the thought of them excites him. Similarly, it’s the same for any Liberian who sits and dreams of traveling to America, and will jump at any opportunity to get on a plane,” Dr. Pearson remarked. He went further, implying that these trips could be a “smart way to carry out legal corruption” by draining public funds under the guise of official travel.
According to Smartnews, Dr. Pearson proposed several alternative strategies to maximize the benefits of international engagement while minimizing costs.
Among them, he suggested leveraging technology by participating in virtual conferences, which would eliminate travel expenses, empowering diplomatic and trade representatives stationed in key global cities to attend such events on behalf of the President.
“This approach would maintain Liberia’s presence on the global stage without incurring the high costs associated with presidential travel,” he said.
Instead of taking the entire government with him, he said a smaller, specialized delegations to attend international conferences will matter.
Dr. Pearson said sending officials from the Ministry of Commerce or the National Investment Commission who can directly negotiate and follow up on business deals might yield more concrete results than a larger presidential delegation.
He called for a more strategic approach to international engagement, adding that the government must carefully weigh the costs and benefits of such trips and explore alternative methods to achieve similar objectives.
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