GANTA — Participants at the National Symposium on Constitutional Reform have unanimously called for a comprehensive review and rewriting of Liberia's 1986 Constitution to address emerging national challenges and strengthen democratic governance.
The agreement was contained in a Continuity Memorandum on Constitutional Reform adopted and signed on November 6, 2026, at the close of a three-day symposium held in Ganta, Nimba County.
Organized by the Governance Commission (GC) and Law Reform Commission (LRC), the symposium was held under the theme, "Advancing Constitutional Reform through National Ownership, Inclusion, and Democratic Governance."
Participants emphasized that Liberia's Constitution requires comprehensive review to reflect changing demographics, emerging national realities and the aspirations of present and future generations.
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Deliberations focused on decentralization, customary laws, democratic governance and constitutional protections for women, youth, persons with disabilities and Liberians in the diaspora.
In their joint memorandum, participants outlined three major recommendations aimed at advancing constitutional reform.
First, they urged the Governance Commission and Law Reform Commission to engage President Joseph Nyuma Boakai and the National Legislature to initiate appropriate measures for reviewing the 1986 Constitution.
Second, they called on the Legislature to consider reviewing and, where necessary, amending Article 91 of the Constitution to facilitate a comprehensive constitutional review and rewriting process.
Third, participants recommended public education and mobilization to enable Liberians to exercise their constitutional powers under Article 91 in advancing the reform agenda.
The stakeholders also urged the government to revisit recommendations from the Constitutional Review Committee chaired by former Chief Justice Gloria Musu-Scott and the June 2026 Monrovia public policy dialogue on constitutional reform.
They called on the Governance Commission to exercise its statutory convening authority and the Law Reform Commission to provide the necessary legal expertise to translate the symposium's recommendations into concrete actions.
Participants further pledged their support for nationwide public awareness and technical assistance to ensure an inclusive and nationally owned constitutional reform process.
Meanwhile, they commended the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) for its continued support to governance reform and appealed to development partners to assist Liberia in mobilizing resources for the constitutional review process.
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The stakeholders reaffirmed their commitment to constitutional reform by signing the Continuity Memorandum on November 6, 2026, in Ganta, Nimba County
