-Government Says September Diaspora Conference Will Shift From “Dialogue to Deliverables” as More Than 500 Register and Investment Protection Takes Center Stage
MONROVIA, Liberia — President Joseph Nyuma Boakai, Sr. has ordered a government team to investigate and resolve a property dispute involving Liberians in the diaspora who invested in properties around the Samuel Kanyon Doe Sports Complex (SKD) and the Marshall area, as his administration moves to strengthen investor protection and rebuild confidence among Liberians abroad.
The disclosure came Friday during the Executive Mansion’s regular press briefing, where the Office of Diaspora Affairs announced that this year’s Liberia Diaspora Annual Conference will place investment protection at the center of its agenda, reflecting a deliberate shift by the government from discussion to concrete action.
According to Erasmus T. Williams, Coordinator for Diaspora Affairs in the Office of the President, the upcoming conference will be held in Washington, D.C., in September, with the government adopting “Dialogue to Deliverables” as its guiding approach.
Williams said the conference will focus on practical ways Liberians in the diaspora can contribute to national development and on policy reforms that can make it easier and safer for them to return home and invest.
“We are moving now from conversation to tangibles,” Williams said, explaining that the government wants the conference to produce concrete outcomes rather than simply generate another round of discussions.
President Orders Investigation Into Diaspora Property Dispute
One of the most significant disclosures from the briefing was that President Boakai has already intervened in a property dispute involving diaspora investors.
Williams said some Liberians living abroad invested in properties around the SKD and Marshall areas but subsequently encountered difficulties in reclaiming or securing the properties in which they had invested.
The matter, he said, has now been expedited at the level of the President.
“The President has instructed a team to work on investigating that matter, to bring it to closure so that the people can have the property,” Williams said.
The Office of Diaspora Affairs is working with the National Investment Commission (NIC) and the Ministry of Justice on the matter, while broader policy changes are also being developed to strengthen protection for investors.
Williams said the government recognizes that resolving individual disputes is only part of the challenge and that Liberia must establish a more predictable investment environment if it expects members of the diaspora to commit their resources to the country.
“There are other policy shifts that have been worked on currently with the Ministry of Justice and our collective input to that process that will help assure people that when they invest in a country, they can have protection of their investment,” he said.
“That is key because it’s all about building trust.”
Government Says Trust Is Critical to Diaspora Investment
Williams said the government’s approach is based on the understanding that Liberians abroad will be reluctant to invest if they believe their property or other investments could become vulnerable to disputes without effective mechanisms for protection and resolution.
He said the issue will therefore receive significant attention during the first day of the upcoming conference.
“If you’re saying, I should come and invest, I should come back in the country, and my brother invests there and he or she cannot get whatever they invest in, that will be mistrust,” Williams said.
“So we are working on that as a government. It’s all hands on deck. But trust is our first step as a government.”
The planned reforms are expected to involve the Ministry of Justice and other government institutions, with the goal of strengthening mechanisms that protect investments and give prospective investors greater confidence in Liberia’s legal and institutional environment.
Conference Shifts From Dialogue to Deliverables
The investment-protection initiative comes as the government prepares for the 2026 Diaspora Annual Conference, which is expected to bring together Liberians from across the world, government officials, development partners and members of the private sector.
Williams said the conference represents a change in approach from previous engagements.
“We are moving now from conversation to tangibles,” he said.
The conference will focus on how Liberians in the diaspora can contribute to national development and how government can reform policies to facilitate investment and broader diaspora participation in Liberia’s development.
The agenda is being shaped partly by concerns submitted by members of the diaspora through surveys and registration processes.
Williams said the conference will feature three major components: dialogue, investment and a Presidential Town Hall engagement, during which President Boakai is expected to interact directly with Liberians in the diaspora and discuss issues affecting them.
More Than 500 Already Registered
Interest in the conference appears strong, with the government reporting that more than 500 people had already registered even before the formal announcement during Friday’s press briefing.
The government is projecting approximately 700 participants for this year’s event.
Last year’s conference attracted more than 700 people in person, while another 1,500 participated virtually through Zoom and other platforms, according to the Diaspora Affairs Office.
Williams said the government expects registration to increase following the formal publicity campaign and the release of an online registration link.
The conference is being organized through a partnership involving government agencies, members of the diaspora, development partners and other stakeholders.
The steering committee is chaired by the Ministry of State for Presidential Affairs and co-chaired by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, while the planning committee is led by members of the diaspora community.
Partners include the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and other organizations supporting diaspora engagement.
Investment to Take Center Stage
Unlike a conference focused primarily on reconnecting Liberians abroad with their homeland, this year’s gathering is expected to place greater emphasis on investment and economic participation.
According to Williams, the second day will focus specifically on investment, while the third day will feature the Presidential Town Hall.
The government says the objective is to create a platform where diaspora investors can raise concerns directly, discuss barriers to investment and contribute ideas for improving Liberia’s investment climate.
The approach also reflects President Boakai’s broader effort to position the Liberian diaspora as a permanent partner in national development.
Government Seeks to Convert Interest Into Investment
The Diaspora Affairs Office said the government is encouraged by the level of interest from Liberians abroad but recognizes that participation in conferences must ultimately translate into tangible contributions to the country’s development.
That includes attracting investment, encouraging Liberians abroad to return home, supporting entrepreneurship and strengthening partnerships between diaspora professionals and institutions inside Liberia.
Williams said President Boakai will officially kick off the conference and use the occasion to encourage Liberians abroad to return and participate in the country’s development.
The government is also considering plans to rotate future diaspora conferences beyond the United States, although no final locations have yet been announced.
The September conference will be followed by the annual Diaspora Return initiative in December.
A Test of Liberia’s Investment Climate
The government’s intervention in the property dispute comes at a time when Liberia is seeking to attract greater domestic and foreign investment to support economic growth and development.
For the diaspora, however, investment decisions are often influenced not only by economic opportunities but also by confidence in property rights, legal protections and the ability of government institutions to resolve disputes fairly.
By placing investment protection at the center of the upcoming conference and intervening directly in a property dispute involving diaspora investors, the Boakai administration is signaling that rebuilding trust will be a necessary part of its strategy to turn the Liberian diaspora into a stronger source of capital, expertise and entrepreneurship for national development.
Whether the planned policy changes can translate into stronger investor protections and whether the government can successfully resolve the highlighted property dispute will likely be among the key issues watched by diaspora investors as Liberia prepares for the September gathering.
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