Liberia's incoming president, Joseph Boakai, will prioritize youth when building on outgoing leader George Weah's digital technology initiatives to power economic growth, officials said. Weah, a former soccer star, launched projects during his term to leverage technology and promote entrepreneurship. The incoming president intends to take these efforts further, with a focus on empowering young Liberians through tech-driven opportunities.

Liberia’s newly inaugurated President, Joseph Boakai (photo), pledged to enhance the digital skills of over 10,000 young Liberians during his first address to the nation on Monday, January 29, at the Capitol Building. “In our quest to expand the economy, we will leverage Information Communication Technology (ICT) in creating jobs, especially for our youth.  To achieve this, my Administration will train up to 10,000 young people in various digital skills in the first half of 2024. The Liberian middle-class goal must be a reality in the next 6 years,” Boakai declared.

This ambitious initiative aims to prepare young people for the digital age by bridging the country’s existing technology gap and ensuring that Liberians are competitive in the global marketplace. This project continues the digital initiatives of former President George Weah, which included the establishment of a national digital transformation project in partnership with the Liberia Telecommunications Authority (LTA), the construction of a national fiber optic network with Kenyan company CSquared, and the digitization of public services and modernization of the Post Office.

It’s worth noting that Liberia significantly lags in the digital field in Africa. According to the latest statistics from DataReportal, as of the start of 2023, the country had 1.80 million Internet users, a penetration rate of 33.6% for a population of 5.36 million. Additionally, the number of social media users was 642,100 in January, representing 12.0% of the total population. In terms of mobile connectivity, Liberia recorded a total of 4.20 million active cellular mobile connections at the start of 2023, equivalent to 78.4% of the total population.

Samira Njoya