The Informer (Monrovia)
16 November 2009
Vice President Joseph Nyumah Boakai had told Liberians from every spectrum of the society that after years of war to peace and recovery, the world is critically "watching" Liberia.
Vice President Boakai said the world is watching Liberian to see whether Liberians can sustain the peace they have today and work with their partner to attain a successful economic growth and development after 14 years of national upheavals.
"For 14 years we were hit by a crisis. For 14 years we separately ran for cover and failed. Now, we must take responsibility and do it right. The world is looking at us to see whether we can be creative and courageous, commensurate with our determination to succeed and together build a strong economy," the Vice president stated in a remark delivered at the Cellcom (GSM) Initial Public Offering (IPO) in Monrovia November 9, 2009.
The Vice President said the test is not in the accumulation of wealth or in the contribution of the international community, but the ability of Liberians to take care of Liberia.
Boakai: The test is not in failure as a result of lack of trying. The test is in building effective systems that will stand up to time. At least, we can take care of ourselves and lessen the dependency on international financial institutions. The IMF and the World Bank will always have their role, but a strong Liberian Economy deeply rooted in the private and public sectors (on one hand), and firmly built on a healthy middleclass, will take the pressure off the international financial institutions as they, too, have limited resources and lots of issues to take care of. If Liberians can take care of Liberia, then it should be fine for all of us.
He admonished potential investors (Liberians and foreigners alike), to be confident and willing to to venture into building the country's economy and investing across Liberia.
"The world wishes us well," he said, "and this is shown by the number of Countries and aid agencies and the 508 NGO's (including locally owned), who are willing to work with us. All across the globe, people are looking at Liberia as a success story, a beacon of hope (for post-conflict restoration), as another pillar, contributing to the financial and economic stability of this sub-region and the world."
He said they are willing to support, cooperate and assist us and willing to do business with Liberians because in their calculations, Liberia has a good chance of success.
"In their calculations, Africa has a good chance of recovering faster, faster than Europe or the US. In their calculations, we can help to sustain the global economy and cushion the negative impact of the crisis on us by doing something for ourselves. They wish us well and if we succeed, as I believe we will, there are positive consequences for the West African Sub-region and implications for the success of Africa and the entire global community
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