The civil society organization Solidarity and Trust for a New Day (STAND) sharply rejected President Joseph Nyuma Boakai’s 2026 State of the Nation address on Monday, accusing the administration of substituting rhetoric and future promises for concrete results and accountability.
“This is not a State of the Nation Address. It is a State of Nonsense,” said Mulbah K. Morlu Jr., STAND chairman, after the group completed a detailed review of the speech. STAND said the address relied on “recycled plans dressed as progress,” selective statistics without context, and unverifiable claims presented as achievements.
STAND challenged several of the president’s headline assertions. The group said economic indicators cited by Mr. Boakai — including a $1.2 billion budget and an alleged 70,000 jobs created — lack independent verification, sectoral breakdowns, wage data or registries to substantiate them. “If the economy is stable, why are the people poorer, hungrier, and more desperate?” STAND asked, pointing to persistent inflation, unemployment and pressure on the Liberian dollar.
The organization also criticized the government’s handling of public debt, noting a rise to roughly $2.8 billion and calling for a credible debt-reduction strategy. STAND cautioned that the planned introduction of value-added tax in 2027 appears to risk taxing poverty absent any robust social protection framework.
On governance and justice, STAND said references to the rule of law and impartial justice in the president’s speech were hollow. The group noted that no senior officials have been convicted in major corruption cases and accused the administration of selective enforcement that favors the politically connected. STAND highlighted the Capitol arson investigation and other high-profile matters as examples where names, charges and recovered assets have not been made public.
STAND further disputed claims about institutional and infrastructure gains. The group said touted bodies — including a Civil Service Commission, a Land Court, a National Road Authority and a Universal Health Insurance scheme — have not materialized as functional institutions. It described many finished road projects as laterite or seasonal and pointed to unresolved questions about the reported importation and use of heavy equipment known as the “Yellow Machines.”
Energy projects, agriculture and social protection were similarly characterized as promises on paper. STAND said Liberia still suffers routine blackouts, limited household electricity access and no financing closure or timelines for large, planned power plants. Agricultural claims of support for nearly 200,000 farmers were called into question as rural hunger and rice imports persist. Cash transfers and other social protection measures, the group added, reach only a small fraction of those in need.
On land and decentralization, STAND accused the government of lifting moratoriums and permitting elite acquisitions while evictions and disputes continue. The organization also criticized reconciliation efforts as ceremonial in the absence of legal accountability for alleged abuses.
“Until truth replaces theater, accountability replaces excuses, and delivery replaces deception, Liberia has not heard a State of the Nation Address,” Morlu said.
