General (Ret) Robert Goodwin III Announces the Appointment of His Excellency Joseph Nyuma Boakai, Vice President of Liberia, as a Distinguished Fellow and Governor of New Westminster College

New Westminster College announced today that Vice President Joseph Nyuma Boakai of the Republic of Liberia has been appointed as a Distinguished Fellow and Governor of New Westminster College.

VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA. His Excellency Joseph Nyuma Boakai, Sr. is the Vice President of the Republic of Liberia, and is now a Distinguished Fellow and member of the Board of Governors of New Westminster College.

“I am very humbled and honoured to be named a Distinguished Fellow and to become a Governor of New Westminster College,” said Vice President Boakai. “It is very exciting for me to join with the distinguished leaders and world-class educators at New Westminster College and I shall look forward to providing support to their endeavors in higher education.”

Vice President Boakai earned his B.A. in Business Administration from the University of Liberia and studied advance management studies in Ghana at the GIMPA. Vice President Boakai was awarded the Doctor of Humane Letters (Litterarum Humanorum Doctor) from the Logos Christian College Graduate School and speaks fluent English, and reads and writes Mendi and Kissi.

Vice President Boakai is a public-spirited patriot and dedicated public servant who has served his country and people diligently. His service to the Republic of Liberia, which has spanned more than 35 years, has included various positions in government, private sector, agro-related, church and civil society. In all of those responsibilities, Vice President Boakai exhibited exemplary qualities, which is reminiscent of his humble beginnings. Born in the remote village of Worsongain, Foya District, Lofa County, on November 30, 1944, Vice President Boakai has withstood the test of time and epitomized the Liberian adage which states: “It does not matter where you are coming from, but where you are headed.” He is a radiant of hope for his home town and a model citizen.

Considering his tremendous contributions to society, it did not come much as a surprise for him to have been selected as running-mate to Madam Ellen Johnson Sirleaf in the 2005 General and Presidential Elections on the Unity Party ticket. H.E. Boakai was elected along with President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf to chart a new course for Africa’s oldest Republic, which is just emerging from a long and bitter civil war.  During the 2011 Presidential Elections, Ambassador Boakai, was again selected by her Excellency, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, now a Nobel Peace Prize Winner, to serve as her running-mate in order to continue the development agenda that they had already started implementing in the first term. Vice President Boakai has continued to work along with Mrs. Ellen Johnson Sirleaf to restore law and order in Liberia, to ensure the reconstruction of the country, ensure that peace and tranquility exist in the country, encourage investors to take advantage of the investment climate in Liberia, and ensure that basic social services are provided for the people of the country.

Vice President Boakai concurrently serves as President of the Liberian Senate and he presides two days a week over plenary sessions of that body. He performs supervisory functions over a number of institutions and agencies including the Liberia National Lotteries (LOTTO), the Liberia Marketing Association (LMA), the Liberia Agency for Community Empowerment (LACE), and the National Commission on Disarmament, Demobilization, Resettlement and Reintegration (NCDDRR).

Vice President Boakai has served his country as Resident Manager of the Liberia Produce Marketing Corporation (LPMC) during 1973-1980, Managing Director of the Liberia Produce Marketing Corporation (LPMC) during 1980-1982, Managing Director of the Liberia Petroleum Refinery Company (LPRC) in 1992, and as Minister of Agriculture during 1983-1985.

As Minister of Agriculture, among his significant duties and responsibilities, he was responsible for national agricultural policy formation, implementation support and research, and regulatory services. He monitored activities and chaired boards of over 20 agricultural development projects, the Agricultural Cooperative Development Bank, and support institutions. He also chaired for one year, a 15 nation West African Rice Development Association (WARDA) and toured research projects of WARDA in Sierra Leone, Ivory Coast and Guinea Bissau. He also toured several agricultural projects in Denmark, Belgium, Great Britain, Malaysia and the Ivory Coast in connection with poultry, cattle grazing, rubber and oil palm production and processing. He also assisted in the first PL-480 program evaluations for Liberia.

He was the Chief Executive Officer at the LPMC and first Liberian Managing Director of that entity. He was responsible for export marketing of coffee, cocoa and palm kernel oil and was responsible for arranging purchase, shipment and handling of the PL-480 program during 1980-1984.

Vice President Boakai utilized his vast knowledge in the social sciences by offering short term consultancy to a number of institutions including serving as Chief Technical Advisor on Agriculture Policy, Ministry of Agriculture. He reviewed and evaluated the Liberian 1986 proposed Green Revolution and FAO World Bank 1986 Agricultural Sector Review Document and evaluated AMSCO, the Amsterdam Funded training program for projects in Uganda in 1994 and Tanzania in 1996.

In the civic and self-help sector, and as part of his philanthropic support to humanity, Vice President Boakai supervised and personally financed up to 75% a 7-mile rural village road construction to Warsonga, Liberia. He also worked with the Federation of Liberian Youth (FLY) and the Danish Youth to construct a school for 150 students and a clinic for a community of 10 villages. He influenced the erection of an OIC project in Foya Kama, Liberia, and organized and headed fundraising for rural electrification of Foya Kama in Lofa County, Northern Liberia.

Vice President Boakai has served as member and chairman of many boards including, Chairman of the Liberia Finance and Trust Corporation, Chairman of the Board of Star Radio, member of the board of LOIC, member of the board of the Liberia Baptist Theological Seminary, founding member of Bethesda Christian Mission, founding organizer for the African Methodist Episcopal University, founding organizer of the C.W.A. Methodist University, President of the Monrovia YMCA, President of the LUSU Resource Corporation, and Ex-President of the Monrovia Rotary Club. He is the owner of the LUSU Resource Corporation and co-owner of AGROMACHINES Liberia.

Vice President Boakai has been happily married since 1972 to Kartumu Y. Boakai and has four children (three sons and one daughter).

“Vice President Boakai has been an untiring advocate of quality higher education throughout his professional career and will directly contribute to our development and delivery of innovative and advanced education programs,” said General (Ret) Robert Goodwin III, President and Chairman of the Board of Governors at New Westminster College. “The Board of Governors extends its congratulations to His Excellency Joseph Nyuma Boakai and welcomes him as a Distinguished Fellow and Governor of New Westminster College.”