The Joint President Transitional Team (JPTT) on inauguration has unveiled a comprehensive calendar of events that would ensure a seamless transfer of power on January 22, 2024.
The pending event will lead to the transfer of power from President George Weah and the Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC) to President-elect Joseph Nyuma Boakai and the Unity Party Alliance. This transition will be the second in nearly eight decades.
The January 22 inauguration will not only facilitate a successful transition, but it will also lead to upholding the democratic principles that underpin our nation’s governance.
Miatta Fahnbulleh, the chairperson of the inauguration committee, disclosed that the inauguration will take place under the theme, “Kukatonon”, meaning, “We are one” in the Kpelle language.
Outlining a series of events, Fahnbulleh, who spoke at the Ministry of Information’s weekly press briefing on Thursday, said that the ceremony will kick off on January 19, 2024, with a traditional prayer service at the Benson Street Mosque in Central Monrovia.
On January 20, according to her, a youth Kukatonon concert will take place at the facility of the Samuel Kanyon Doe Sports Complex in Paynesville.
The concert, she said, will showcase talented Liberian artists both at home and from abroad.
On the same day, January 20, Fahnbulleh said there will also be a green day event, an agriculture exhibition that will take place at the Antoinette Tubman Stadium in Central Monrovia.
This move, she indicated, is to showcase some products that Liberian farmers normally produce across the country, especially regarding the background of the President-Elect as a farmer.
Speaking further, the Inaugural committee chair disclosed that on Sunday, January 21, 2024, there will also be a National service at the Effort Baptist Church in Paynesville, where the President-Elect regularly worships.
The activities she indicated will continue on Sunday afternoon at the Centennial Memorial Pavilion with the exhibition of Liberian arts and culture.
Madam Fahnbulleh used the occasion to encourage Liberians and foreign guests to take advantage of the exhibition exercise to see and buy the beautiful creative works of the country.
Other activities, she said, promise to be colorful and very exciting, especially with the parading of floats around the City representing the fifteen political subdivisions of the Country. The fifteen floats, she noted, will display the different cultures, artistic works, and agricultural produce as part of the activities commemorating the inauguration ceremony.
The Official ceremony, she told the media, will take place on Monday, January 22, 2024, at the grounds of the Capitol Building where the official swearing-in ceremony of the next President of Liberia, Boakai will take place.
Following the inauguration, there will be a state luncheon hosted by President Boakai to honor dignitaries, foreign diplomats, and other distinguished guests. This gathering will provide an opportunity for national and international leaders to congratulate the new President and express their commitment to supporting Liberia’s development agenda.
Even though she did provide names of foreign guests expected to attend the inauguration, she was quick to emphasize that there would be high-profile guests attending the unique event and, as such, appealed to all Liberians to put on their best behavior.
She however disclosed that high-powered delegations from ECOWAS, Italy, and the Netherlands, as well as members of the Congressional Black Caucus from the United States of America, are also expected to form a part of the occasion.
Moreover, she told reporters that they will be expecting about 500 Liberians from the diaspora, some of whom for the first time after many years will be in attendance to come and witness the program.
The event, the inauguration committee chairperson stated, will climax with about four to five different inaugural balls, held at different locations. Among them, she said, will be the Economic Ball, which will be hosted by the Liberia Chamber of Commerce.
Responding to a question about the budget for the event, she responded: “If you ask me, I would say US$1 million, but so far we have around US$500,000. But we are not going to use the Liberian people’s money foolishly.”