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June 5, 2007

Liberia's vice president: 'We need everything'

Journal photo / Bill Murphy
Liberian Vice President Joseph N. Boakai, center, greets Bishop Philip E. Nelson lll, left, after a press conference at the Urban League of Rhode Island this afternoon.

PROVIDENCE -- Liberia is literally turning on its lights, restoring power and water and repairing infrastructure destroyed by prolonged civil war. But the country still desperately needs help as it works towards a peaceful, productive future, its vice president said today.

Vice President Joseph N. Boakai said that includes training a new work force, rebuilding schools, hospitals and banks, and harnessing the county’s rich natural resources that became the spoils of war.

During a national tour of Liberian diaspora communities that include Rhode Island, Boakai said his homeland is seeking private investment, such as a $1 billion agreement forged in 2005 with Mittal Steel for mining iron ore.

Training and education of the country’s youthful majority is also a major focus. And, said Boakai, one key will be to provide salaries that will draw people “from more comfortable circumstances” in other countries.

“We need everything,” said Boakai. “We need vocational training. We have to train our young people -- we need auto mechanics, electricians, nurses, doctors.’’ Future efforts will include development of tourism and high-tech industry, Boakai said.

Boakai visited Rhode Island during his tour of Liberian diaspora communities across the country. Rhode Island’s estimated 15,000 Liberians constitute the country’s largest Liberian population per capita.

-- Journal staff writer Karen Lee Ziner

The Liberian Community Association of Rhode Island, headed by Mator M.F. Kpangbai, hosted Boakai’s visit. It included his press conference at the Urban League of Rhode Island, after which he was scheduled to meet with Governor Carcieri and Providence Mayor David N. Cicilline, among others.

At the Urban League, Boakai expressed hope that Liberia will continue to work free of corruption that previously formed “the bedrock of our society,” and maintain the fragile peace established after the decades-long war ended in 2003.

He praised President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, the first female president in any African country who ran on an anti-corruption platform. Johnson Sirleaf’s 2006 visit to Rhode Island drew thousands of people who cheered her speech on the steps of Providence City Hall.

“She is a great, great lady,” said Boakai.

He also expressed faith that the United States will continue offering temporary protected status to Liberians here who have been extended that status since they fled the civil war. Although some Liberians are returning, Boakai said the war’s devastation makes it impossible, for now, to support a wholesale return.

Posted by Mike McKinney at 4:48 PM | Permalink

June 5, 2007

Liberia's vice president: 'We need everything'

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