Monrovia — The former Minister of Mines and Energy, Wilmot Paye, has been honored by professional geologists and mining engineers for his "transformative" service, recognizing his dedicated efforts in driving sectorial reforms, transparency, and institutional strengthening during his 17-month tenure.
The professional bodies formally recognized Paye's significant contributions, which they credit for revamping the nation's vital mining sector and surpassing revenue targets. The recognition was presented as a certificate to the former Minister at his residence on Sunday, November 16, 2025.
Madison P. Zondo, speaking on behalf of the group, highly praised former Minister Paye's time at the Ministry of Mines and Energy (MME), highlighting a focused push for systemic changes.
Mr. Zondo acknowledged Paye's "massive approach" in overhauling the sector in less than two years.
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"Former Minister Paye can be credited with reviving the Technical Student and Internship Programs, resulting in the successful secondment of 114 young geologists and mining engineers to various companies across the country. The former Minister can also be lauded for the MME's exceptional financial performance under his leadership during the 2024 Fiscal Year."
"Former Minister Paye's efforts generated US$118 million against a target of US$112 million for the 2024 Fiscal Year budget, successfully surpassing the National Legislature's revenue goal for the mining sector," Mr. Zondo stated.
For his part, former Minister Paye thanked the group for the unsolicited recognition of his service to the country through the Ministry of Mines and Energy.
He also expressed gratitude to President Joseph Boakai for the privilege to serve, using a powerful analogy to describe the nature of presidential appointments and the importance of integrity.
"A presidential appointee is like a borrowed coat; you should be ever ready because the owner of the coat doesn't need your permission whenever they want the coat," former Minister Paye said.
He emphasized that while the appointment is temporary, a person's character remains.
"But the T-shirt underneath the coat which you should wear, is actually your character. So if your character is stained during the course of your service... they will be looking and throwing fingers at you that you stole. But if your character is clean and then the coat is removed, you're proud to move because your character will defend you. So, I'm actually thankful to all of you for the recognition," he added.
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