President Joseph Boakai Tuesday challenged 120 newly graduated diplomats to advance Liberia’s interests and values as he delivered the keynote address at the 71st Graduation Ceremony of the Gabriel L. Dennis Foreign Service Institute (FSI) at the Ellen Johnson Sirleaf Ministerial Complex in Oldest Congo Town.
The class of 120—the largest in the Institute’s 74-year history includes participants from the Regular Academic Program, the Madam Suakoko Graduate Program for Female Diplomats, and the Refresher and Orientation Program for elected and appointed officials.
President Boakai praised the FSI’s recent rebranding and curriculum modernization, saying the Institute has become “a center of diplomatic distinction” at a pivotal moment as Liberia prepares to assume a non-permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council.
“The Institute does not merely train—it transforms,” the President said, adding that graduates are “architects of our expanding global influence.”
He commended the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Institute’s leadership and faculty for building partnerships with regional and global institutions—including UNITAR, the Foreign Service Academy of Sierra Leone, the International Relations Institute of Cameroon, and the Institute of Diplomatic Studies in Egypt—to ensure Liberian diplomats are prepared for 21st-century challenges.
Boakai set out four core pillars for the graduates’ professional duties: advocate for Liberia’s prosperity through economic diplomacy; act as architects of peace and regional stability within the Mano River Union, ECOWAS and the African Union; uphold the highest standards of integrity and service; and champion the national ARREST Agenda aimed at transforming Liberia’s economy and governance. He urged diplomats to be “results-driven” and to deliver tangible benefits to the Liberian people, not merely attend formal events.
Quoting Pan-Africanist Edward Wilmot Blyden, the President reminded the graduates that “the size of a country does not determine its greatness, but the character of its people,” and urged them to embody the character of a “new Liberia” defined by resilience, peace and progressive ambition. “Be bold in your ideas, but wise in your counsel. Be proud ambassadors of the new Liberia,” he said.
