–President Says Historic Site Will Help “Open Liberia to the World” as Government Launches Tourism-Focused Restoration of Landmark on Bushrod Island
MONROVIA — President Joseph Nyuma Boakai, Sr. has broken ground for the remodeling and development of historic Providence Island, launching what his administration describes as a major effort to preserve one of Liberia’s most important heritage sites while transforming it into a tourism and educational destination.
The groundbreaking ceremony, held Monday, August 17, 2026, on the island in Monrovia, brought together senior government officials, tourism authorities, traditional performers and other stakeholders as the government formally moved the project from planning toward implementation.
For President Boakai, however, the project represents far more than the renovation of an old site.
He said Providence Island is “the beginning of our history in a very concrete way” and argued that its restoration will help tell Liberia’s story to a global audience.
“The world needs to know where our history started and the importance of the history of Liberia,” Boakai said during an interview following his tour of the island.
The President said the project is intended not merely to repair the physical site, but to add value to Liberia’s history and create a stronger connection between the country’s heritage and its tourism ambitions.
“It’s not a matter of mentioning, it’s a matter of adding value to the history of Liberia and opening Liberia to the world,” he said.
A Historic Site Re-imagined
Providence Island, located off Bushrod Island in the Mesurado River, occupies a central place in Liberia’s historical narrative.
The site is associated with the arrival and settlement of formerly enslaved people who eventually established communities that became part of the foundation of modern Liberia.
During Monday’s ceremony, the President toured the island, viewing historical features and artifacts while receiving explanations from Ambassador Christopher Hayes Onanuga, Presidential Special Envoy on Tourism and Chairman of the Liberia National Tourism Authority (LNTA), and Hon. Princess Eva Cooper, Director General of the LNTA.
The tour included the island’s historic well, believed to date to 1822, as well as vegetation and other features connected to the island’s history.
The atmosphere around the groundbreaking combined the solemnity of a national heritage event with traditional Liberian cultural expression, including performances by the Liberia National Cultural Troupe.
Boakai Links Tourism to ARREST Agenda
President Boakai said tourism is an important component of his administration’s ARREST Agenda, and described the Providence Island project as an early manifestation of the government’s intention to develop the sector.
“Tourism is going to be an important part of the ARREST Agenda and today we have started,” the President said.
He thanked the LNTA leadership and other government actors involved in moving the project forward, while emphasizing that the island should no longer remain a largely forgotten part of Liberia’s historical landscape.
“We want Liberians to know that it’s been a history in Africa… today this island, this historic island is the beginning of the history of Liberia and we are going to make the world know it was not a forgotten place.”
The government’s decision to prioritize Providence Island comes as the newly established LNTA seeks to position tourism as a contributor to economic growth, employment and investment. The 2025 Liberia National Tourism Act formally established the LNTA as the principal government agency responsible for promoting, encouraging and regulating tourism in Liberia.
Government Funding, Private Investment Envisioned
According to the ceremony’s presentation, the Providence Island development is being fully funded by the Government of Liberia, with implementation led by the LNTA.
But officials said the long-term vision extends beyond government financing.
The project framework presented to the President includes tourism and hospitality facilities, recreational areas and improved access to the island, with plans to attract private investors as the development progresses.
Ambassador Christopher Hayes Onanuga said the government intends to create an environment where investment can come into the area while minimizing disruption to people already living around the project.
He explained that the plan includes developing a slipway and dividing portions of the waterfront into investment blocks, while allowing existing residents to relocate themselves with financial assistance rather than being forcibly displaced.
“The essence of making this seamless without controversy is our goal and objective,” Onanuga said.
He said Providence Island is only one component of a broader tourism-development strategy that includes a proposed surfing resort in Grand Cape Mount County, the National Creative Centre, work at Kendeja, and the renovation of Liberia’s museum.
LNTA Pushes Tourism as Economic Opportunity
The project is also being presented as part of a wider effort to attract investment into Liberia’s tourism sector.
The LNTA has previously identified Providence Island, coastal and riverfront tourism, eco-lodges, surf tourism and urban tourism regeneration as priority investment opportunities.
The Authority has also emphasized that Liberia’s cultural heritage remains largely underdeveloped as an international tourism asset and has called for partnerships that can strengthen infrastructure, tourism services and professional capacity.
That broader strategy gives Providence Island significance beyond Monrovia: officials envision the site as a flagship destination through which Liberia can begin telling its historical and cultural story to international visitors.
Boakai: “We Have the Richest History in Africa”
After touring the island, Boakai said the project should help Liberians and international visitors better understand the significance of the site.
He argued that Liberia possesses a historical story that deserves greater international recognition.
“People don’t know that we have the richest history in Africa, and this is what we’re trying to do,” Boakai said.
The President said the government is prepared to provide the resources necessary to support the tourism authority’s work.
“We provide resources, so there’s no other way to make it known than what we’re doing today,” he said when asked about government support for the LNTA.
A New Chapter for an Old Landmark
For Princess Eva Cooper, who is leading the LNTA’s operational work, Providence Island represents one of the Authority’s flagship tourism-development projects.
The groundbreaking follows earlier preparatory work by the LNTA, including investor-oriented activities around the site. The Authority has said the project is intended to reposition Providence Island as a world-class tourism, cultural and heritage destination.
Ambassador Christopher Hayes Onanuga, meanwhile, has repeatedly argued that Liberia needs to develop tourism intentionally, identify priority destinations and attract private-sector investment. His official role as Presidential Special Envoy on Tourism and his position as Chairman of the LNTA Board place him at the center of the administration’s tourism strategy.
The Providence Island project therefore arrives at an important moment: Liberia is attempting to convert its historical and cultural assets into economic opportunities while preserving the authenticity of those sites.
“Adding Value” to Liberia’s History
As the ceremony concluded, the message from the President was less about restoring a physical structure than about restoring visibility to Liberia’s history.
Boakai said the development should allow the world to see what Providence Island represents and enable Liberia to transform its historical assets into destinations that educate, attract visitors and generate economic activity.
“It’s not a matter of mentioning, it’s a matter of adding value to the history of Liberia and opening Liberia to the world.”
With the groundbreaking now completed and government funding committed, attention turns to the execution of the project and whether Providence Island can ultimately become the landmark tourism destination envisioned by the administration.
For Liberia, the ambition is clear: to turn one of the country’s most historic sites from a largely overlooked landmark into a living gateway through which the world can encounter Liberia’s history, culture and people.
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