Several African heads of state were in attendance.
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His first priorities, he said, would be to root out corruption and pay civil servants “a living wage”, and encourage the private sector.
In his inaugural address, Weah told Liberians that the new Liberia he intends to build must be re-enforced by integrity.
Weah, who retired from football in 2002, returned to Liberia following the ouster of autocratic president Charles Taylor – who has meanwhile been sentenced to 50 years imprisonment for war crimes – in 2003.
She expresses gratitude to Liberians for electing Weah as President, and challenges him to uphold the confidence reposed in him by the people.
Sirleaf made use of her worldwide cachet as a Harvard-trained economist, former finance minister and an executive at the World Bank to get a massive chunk of Liberia’s debt written off in 2007. However, such advancements have traditionally been bankrolled by foreign donors, who will likely be skeptical of pumping money into the government of someone with as little governing experience as Mr Weah.
Experts are concerned, however, that hopes of tackling rampant corruption and bringing technocratic expertise into his cabinet are at risk from the need to repay favours.
YOU MENTIONED YESTERDAY in your inaugural speech: “I further believe that the overwhelming mandate I received from the Liberian people is a mandate to end corruption in public service”.
More than 60 percent of Liberia’s 4.6 million citizens are under 25, and many voted for Weah in the expectation he would quickly boost employment. He set off a chain of Pipe-piper likeness with large numbers following him from IL to Rhode Island and extending across the towns and villages within Liberia, all voting to make him President. Voters will hold him to his promise of jobs and better schools. This is especially needed after the 2017 Presidential and General Elections, including the runoff, which at some points became so acrimonious between and among different political parties supporters. Others insist that Weah becoming president got more than a little help from outing President Sirleaf who had long ago known it known her desire to handover to a younger generation.
“Liberia is a sister country to Nigeria, and during the Liberian crisis, the world knows the sacrifice Nigeria made in this country in terms of human and material resources”.
Liberia’s depressed export economy is highly reliant on rubber and iron ore.
In all three pillars, the European Union will provide training, funding and professional assistance to the Ministry of Agriculture and other related institutions to help them become more efficient and capable of helping farmers and people in rural areas. Then: “to the presidency”.
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“This is the culmination of all the efforts and works in building the capacity of the Liberians and also strengthening their democratic experiment, for them to reach a point where they can all come together and celebrate the success as one nation”.
