The main opposition Coalition for Democratic Change has challenged President Joseph Boakai’s State of the Nation Address, saying gains touted in revenue growth and macroeconomic indicators have not translated into better lives for Liberia’s poorest and most vulnerable.
In a detailed rebuttal, the CDC praised certain national improvements but argued that “rising revenue alone is not evidence of exceptional governance” unless it is converted into tangible relief for ordinary households.
Behind every statistic is a struggling household,” the party said, listing civil servants, market women, students and recent graduates among those still facing high prices, scarce jobs and eroded purchasing power.
The CDC disputed several of the administration’s headline claims. It questioned assertions that 70,000 youths had been employed under the Boakai government, demanding to know where the jobs are, where payrolls can be verified and where beneficiaries live.
The opposition also accused the government of failing to meet its own ICT training pledge — saying a promised 10,000 trainees yielded roughly 1,000, a 90 percent shortfall by the party’s calculation.
Roads and infrastructure were a focal point of the rebuttal. The CDC said many of the projects Boakai’s administration is advertising were initiated, financed or contracted under the previous CDC government and accused the current administration of rebranding inherited works.
It also questioned claims of a dramatic increase in paved roads, calling some figures inconsistent with the known scope of major corridors. The government has conceded on this data inaccuracy.
The party warned that agriculture — the livelihood of more than 60 percent of Liberians — remains neglected. It said promised machinery and rural road improvements have not been delivered in operational form and criticized the 2026 budget for lacking serious allocations to fulfil prior pledges.
On education and health, the CDC pointed to earlier gains under its administration, including construction of schools and the regularization of thousands of supplementary teachers, and accused the current government of allowing momentum to stall.
In health, the party said a previously negotiated US$5 million pay-grade adjustment for lower-cadre workers was removed, leaving nurses, midwives and other staff underpaid and demoralized and contributing to service disruptions.
The rebuttal also raised concerns over governance and rights. The CDC accused security forces of partisan enforcement, citing the demolition of the party’s headquarters while a legal challenge was pending and arrests following a December 17 protest.
It further criticized what it called executive disregard for court rulings and selective prosecutions that, the party said, undermine judicial independence and fuel national division.
The opposition flagged a growing illicit drug crisis and said the government had not mounted a comprehensive, resourced nationwide response combining enforcement, prevention, treatment and rehabilitation.
It also described the Boakai administration’s approach to national reconciliation as divisive, arguing that measures taken since the contested 2023 elections—such as denials of executive privileges for former officials and dismissals of civil servants—have undermined unity.
The CDC urged the Boakai government to move from “recycled promises to measurable results” on jobs, justice, health, education and agriculture, and vowed to continue holding the administration to account.
