Stakeholders at a one-day Public Policy Dialogue on Tourism have called on the government and its partners to make meaningful investments in Liberia’s tourism sector, describing it as a potential driver of economic growth and national reawakening.
The dialogue, organized by the Governance Commission (GC) in collaboration with the Ministry of Information, Cultural Affairs and Tourism (MICAT) and the Liberia National Tourism Authority (LNTA), was held under the theme, “A Review of Liberia’s Tourism Sector for Sustained Economic Growth.” The event brought together policymakers, financial institutions, tourism operators, and development partners at the Ellen Johnson Sirleaf Ministerial Complex.
Participants agreed that for Liberia to harness the benefits of the multibillion-dollar global tourism industry, investment must begin at the grassroots. They urged the government to empower counties to become drivers of the sector and to promote awareness of Liberia’s hidden tourism assets such as Providence Island in Montserrado, the Sand Beach in Grand Kru, and the Sarpo National Park in Sinoe County.
The discussions centered on public-private partnerships and tourism financing, government’s role in advancing tourism under the ARREST Agenda, and the banking sector’s role in promoting tourism. The Liberia Banking Association, LNTA, and independent experts led presentations on topics ranging from the tourism tax regime to digitization and sectoral governance.
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Prof. Alaric Tokpa, Acting Chair of the GC Board of Commissioners, opened the session with a strong appeal for strategic investment in tourism, stressing that it must be treated as a pillar of national development rather than a peripheral concern.
“Tourism offers much more than recreation. When properly developed, it can be a catalyst for job creation, cultural interpretation, and community empowerment,” Prof. Tokpa said. “Tourism policy is not a minor issue, but a central pillar of Liberia’s national reawakening and a key to unlocking our development potential.”
He noted that Liberia’s complex past and rich heritage make tourism a vital bridge between history and development. “Tourism allows us to record that past, celebrate our present, and build a future grounded in job creation and national unity,” Tokpa added. He said President Joseph Nyuma Boakai’s vision for tourism seeks to preserve indigenous cultures, protect heritage, and create opportunities for all, linking Liberia’s tourism future to the broader African diaspora “from the Caribbean to North America — who share a historical journey and a future filled with power and resilience.”
Delivering an overview of the dialogue, Sianeh S. Juah, Acting Vice Chair of the GC and head of its Public Sector Reform Mandate Area, explained that the Commission’s long-term engagement with the tourism sector aims to identify and eliminate the barriers hindering its growth.
“We commenced this journey by engaging several stakeholders and actors to ensure that we produce the best outcomes as in contemporary societies. We soon realized that the existing structure needed strengthening and regulatory leadership,” Madam Juah said.
She recalled that under a Governance Commission-led reform initiative, the GC proposed the extraction of the Departments of Culture and Tourism from MICAT to form an independent regulatory body. “Through a reform initiative led by the GC, we proposed that the Departments of Culture and Tourism at the Ministry of Information, Cultural Affairs & Tourism be extracted from the Ministry and be established into an independent body that would govern the tourism industry of Liberia,” she explained.
According to her, the proposal — supported by then-President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf — led to the drafting of a 2014 bill for the establishment of the Liberia National Tourism Authority (LNTA), a key milestone in the reform of the sector.
“In 2014, the GC drafted a Bill for the proposed Liberia National Tourism Authority (LNTA) which was a landmark effort of the GC in collaboration with MICAT. Even though the LNTA was not established then; however, consultations continued with various actors to build a consensus for its establishment,” she said.
The one-day dialogue concluded with calls for renewed political will, private investment, and coordinated national leadership to transform tourism from a dormant opportunity into a major contributor to Liberia’s economy.
