President Joseph Boakai's State of the Nation Address sought to reassure Liberians that the country is on a steady path toward recovery, reform, and shared prosperity. Delivered with confidence and reinforced by a steady flow of statistics, the address painted a picture of progress in macroeconomic management, institutional reform, and national planning.
Yet, behind the encouraging tone and carefully arranged figures lies a deeper unease, especially surrounding the administration's claim of creating more than 70,000 jobs. In a nation where unemployment and underemployment define daily existence for a large segment of the population, this claim invites skepticism, reflection, and serious public debate.
At its core, the address presented Liberia as a nation benefiting from cooperation between the Executive and the Legislature. The passage of several laws and the articulation of ambitious development frameworks were highlighted as evidence of momentum.
However, legislative productivity and policy formulation, while necessary, do not automatically translate into economic security for ordinary citizens. For many Liberians, governance is judged less by the number of laws passed and more by whether those laws result in food on the table, school fees paid, and stable employment secured. On this measure, the address leaves many unanswered questions.
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The President emphasized economic growth of over five percent, declining inflation, increased exports, and improved foreign reserves as proof that Liberia's economic fundamentals are strengthening. While these indicators matter to investors and international partners, they remain distant concepts for the majority of citizens.
A growing economy that fails to absorb its labor force risks becoming an exclusive success story, one that exists on paper but not in everyday life. The central issue, therefore, is not whether the economy is growing, but who is benefiting from that growth and how.
This is where the claim of 70,000 jobs becomes pivotal. Employment is the bridge between macroeconomic progress and lived reality. It is through jobs that growth becomes meaningful to households. Yet, the address offers little detail about how these jobs were created, who holds them, how long they last, or what level of income and security they provide. Without this information, the number stands alone, impressive in appearance but hollow in substance.
Liberia's economy has long been characterized by informality. The majority of workers survive through petty trading, casual labor, subsistence farming, and short-term public works. When short-lived activities such as road brushing, community clean-up projects, or donor-funded social programs are aggregated and labeled as jobs created, the result can be a misleading picture. Such activities may offer temporary relief, but they do not represent the kind of employment that lifts people out of poverty or provides a foundation for long-term economic stability.
For young Liberians, the issue is particularly acute. Each year, thousands of graduates leave universities and vocational institutions with hopes of meaningful employment. Instead, many encounter a labor market with limited opportunities, low wages, and few prospects for advancement.
Against this backdrop, a claim of tens of thousands of jobs naturally raises expectations. When those expectations are not visibly met, frustration deepens, and trust in public institutions erodes.
The President pointed to future initiatives, including youth entrepreneurship programs and employment acceleration strategies, as pathways to improved job outcomes. While such plans are encouraging in principle, they remain projections rather than results. Liberia has no shortage of strategies, agendas, and frameworks. What it lacks is a consistent track record of implementation that delivers measurable and lasting employment. Promises of future jobs cannot substitute for transparent accounting of present realities.
The address itself contains an internal tension that deserves attention. On one hand, the administration claims significant job creation. On the other hand, it acknowledges that cuts in donor support led to job losses, reduced incomes, and widespread hardship. This contradiction underscores the need for clarity. If jobs were lost due to funding disruptions, how many were gained to offset those losses? Were the 70,000 jobs gross figures, or do they represent net employment gains? Without such distinctions, the narrative remains incomplete.
Cost of living issues further complicate the picture. Although inflation has reportedly declined and prices of some essential goods have eased, many Liberians continue to struggle because their incomes have not kept pace with even modest price changes. Lower prices offer limited comfort to households without stable earnings. In this context, employment figures become more than statistics; they become a measure of whether economic policy is truly improving lives.
Public debt and reliance on external financing also raise concerns about the durability of job creation efforts. When employment is driven largely by donor-funded projects or government spending financed through borrowing, sustainability becomes uncertain. Once funding ends or fiscal pressures mount, jobs disappear, and communities are left no better off than before. A credible employment strategy must be anchored in private sector growth, value addition, and domestic production, areas where progress remains slow and uneven.
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The ARREST Agenda for Inclusive Development is presented as the blueprint for Liberia's future. Its ambition is undeniable, and its scope is broad. However, its success will ultimately be measured not by the number of interventions listed, but by whether it delivers tangible improvements in employment and income. If job creation continues to be communicated through broad, unverifiable figures, the agenda risks losing public confidence before it fully takes root.
President Boakai's address reflects an administration eager to demonstrate competence and progress, and some of the achievements cited are real. Nevertheless, the issue of employment demands greater honesty, precision, and transparency. Jobs are not just numbers to be announced; they are livelihoods that define dignity, stability, and hope. When official narratives emphasize figures that citizens cannot see or feel, skepticism becomes inevitable.
In the final analysis, Liberia does not simply need more job announcements. It needs a clear, credible, and verifiable account of how many jobs exist, how many have been lost, how many are sustainable, and how many offer a path out of poverty. Until such clarity is provided, employment claims will continue to be questioned, and optimism will remain fragile.
For a nation yearning for genuine progress, counting jobs must mean more than counting numbers. It must mean counting lives truly changed.
