Proposed
Policies

Changing the fate of Liberia will not simply rest on changing the type of leaders we elect. Our success will also depend on the vision and the policies put into place to achieve national success. Hence, the millions of Liberians disillusioned with our current trajectory need to be led in a manner that makes national priorities clear, and policies implementable – which must ensure that the benefits of the nation are shared by all. Consequently, my administration will have an ambitious, yet achievable pursuit of the following policies (by no means limited) within my six-year term in office.

Agriculture

  • Ensure self-sufficiency in the nation’s staple food (rice) by creating modern “food production zones” in each of the nation’s 15 counties of Liberia.
  • Establish, based on best use of geographic and soil content, four cash crop production zones throughout the country for export.
  • Provide a low-interest loan assistance program directly tailored towards small-to-medium farmers and cooperatives
  • Introduce a “buy what you grow” program. This will not only encourage farming, but will significantly increase the amount of food on the market as farmers will have the confidence to invest in growing larger farm yields.

Governing

  • Limit the size of government - which currently serves as the largest employer in the country, as well as its overall/recurring spending on issues unrelated to the health, education and the training of Liberian citizens.
  • Constitute a gender-inclusive Cabinet of capable and honest Liberians.
  • Limit budgetary waste in government expenditure such as the purchase of luxury cars, business class travel and the unnecessary use of discretionary funding for items such as fuel coupons and other recurring items for personal use.

Health

  • Turn the John F. Kennedy Hospital (the nation’s largest) into one of the five most regionally referred and teaching hospitals in West Africa by investing $100 million over a three-year period. Liberians should not have to leave their own country for proper medical care.
  • Establish in every single one of Liberia’s 73 districts, one modern (and state-of-the-art) clinic through a joint public-private partnership (with subsidized treatment for the poor).
  • Retrain and increase the ratio of doctors to patients (which is currently one of the lowest in the world) – especially in our rural communities.
  • Conduct recertification of all hospitals and clinics around the country, closing down all establishments that do not meet minimum international standards.
  • Conduct recertification and licensing of all doctors and nurses. The individuals who do not qualify will be provided training courses, to be re-evaluated at its conclusion.

Infrastructure

  • Connect all county capitals by paved roads – which will cost an estimated US $3.5 billion.
  • Ensure that every county establishes robust “maintenance” hubs with the proper equipment and support – where effective management of their roads, public schools and health facilities occur.
  • Reinvest in WASH facilities with an ambitious and dedicated objective to make the capital city of Monrovia (home to a third of Liberia’s population) one of the top 10 rated cleanest cities in Africa within six years.
  • Drastically expand the size of the Army’s corps of engineers, who will take a leading role in (re-)building community infrastructure such as farm-to-market roads, state-of-the-art community clinics and modern schools.
  • Initiate a nationwide renewable energy program for hundreds of villages and towns (and millions of citizens) currently excluded from the national grid electricity plan.

Land Rights

  • Implement and enforce the policy of the Land Commission having to approve/validate all public and private sales of land throughout the country.

Transparency and Fight Against Corruption

  • Institute a “reasonable purchase” policy for all government officials and civil servants. This will not only mandate asset declaration twice a year, but will ensure that purchases and personal acquisition are in line with earned income.
  • Mandatory minimum jail time and restitution for anyone proven guilty of stealing government resources.
  • Provide a “hotline” for all incoming foreign investors to report any request for bribes and/or corrupt practices.
  • Audit (and publish) all government agencies and transactions by “internationally recognized” firms to ensure that all forms of corrupt practices are brought to light.
  • Special Court, with specially trained Judges, will be assigned to adjudicate corrupt cases.

Education

  • Triple the current budget for early childhood education (currently one of the lowest in the world); ensuring that we properly build the foundation of our children by investing in teacher training, school feeding programs and infrastructure development.
  • Focus on technical and vocational training for all high school students; ensuring that each graduating senior has had three years of vocational training and business development in sectors such as carpentry, plumbing, electrical work and masonry, among other skills – skills that will not only be utilized to build our nation, but empower the entrepreneurial spirit of our citizens as well.
  • Create a state-of-the-art, merit based (tuition and boarding free) school for gifted students; ensuring that we nurture the best and brightest students of our society – whom we will count on to lead and sustain Liberia’s progress.
  • Conduct recertification of all teachers from grades one through six. Teachers who do not pass will have to take a six-month training course and be re-evaluated at its conclusion.

International Relations

  • Implement a visa-on-arrival policy to increase tourism, trade and development, as well as easy access to the country.
  • Promote a policy of yearly economic deliverables/objectives with each bilateral engagement transforming our national relationships into explicit tools to build stronger trade and industry while growing our private sector.
  • Cut down on the large number of understaffed (and therefore, ineffective) embassies. We will establish more robust embassies and consulates with a regional approach.

Housing

  • Create a mortgage scheme (that currently does not exist) to spur national growth and development through infrastructure development and home ownership.
  • Build low-cost housing estates – ensuring that hundreds of thousands of Liberians move out of the slums, which have no access to running water, proper sanitation, or electricity.

Job Creation and the Economy

  • Establish in Liberia’s 73 districts at least one modern factory to ensure targeted employment and value addition. Ensure significant industry value addition (for export) of at least two natural resources (iron ore, gold, timber, diamonds, natural rubber, etc.).
  • Provide financial security to the Banking sector to ensure private and business loan rates are not seen as high-risk and, therefore, lowered significantly (most lending rates, both private and business, are as high as 17%). This will provide much-needed capital for startups and small and medium-sized businesses, thus creating further job opportunities.
  • We will provide severance packages for civil servants and government employees downsized, and, more importantly, we will provide business training, loan and private-sector opportunities for all laid-off civil servants in order to lessen the long-term burden on government, while encouraging private-sector growth and development.

Security

  • Ensure a phased, yet immediate, retraining and re-education of all police officers beginning the first week of my administration.
  • Increase benefits of all police, immigration, military and paramilitary officers, and their immediate families to include health, human capacity and educational appropriations and incentives.