President Johnson Sirleaf at her 2006 inauguration.
Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf told AllAfrica in a 1986 interview, shortly
after being arrested and fleeing the country, that her goal in life was to "bring good governance to Liberia
before I die." Since her inauguration in January 2006, she has had the chance to try, and she acknowledges the
magnitude of the challenge. Twenty months into her presidency, she thinks the campaign against corruption and
the process of delivering health services, education and jobs has gained traction, and she is encouraged. But
she says the region is troubled, peace is fragile and Liberia must have help to deliver a democracy dividend
and preserve stability.
Richard Tolbert, holding iron ore and rubber wood in his hands with diamonds displayed on the wall behind, is promoting Liberia's natural resources to the world.
International capital is essential to Liberia's recovery from near-total destruction of its
economy and infrastructure, says the National Investment Commission's Richard Tolbert. He cites the president's point
that Liberians should not be poor not with timber and diamonds and iron and rubber resources. But attracting
investment to a post-conflict country is tough especially projects that generate substantial revenues and jobs.
Tolbert, who left a successful Wall Street career to return home, is putting out the word that Liberia is "open for
business" and is touting initial successes in sealing or re-negotiating deals that stimulate growth while rewarding investors.
Africare president Julius Coles has strong ties to Liberia, where he met and married his wife.
He says he was a naïve American when he first worked in Liberia as a young program officer for USAID, and that Ellen
Johnson Sirleaf - then deputy minister of finance - was an excellent mentor. She was, he says, "able to walk the line
between the donors and the government and look out for her own country's national interest, and that was not always an
easy task." Those skills are being tested, as Johnson Sirleaf leads the country's reconstruction after decades of conflict.
Africare is pledged to help, with projects that focus on education and health services.
