79 Year-Old Joseph Boakai Takes Office In Liberia, Promises To Tackle Youth Issues

Liberia’s new president, Joseph Boakai has been sworn into office, making him the country’s oldest president ever. It will be recalled that in November 2023, the Septugenarian nicknamed “Sleepy Joe,”  defeated  George Weah – the country’s youngest-ever president – in a keenly contested election.

Running on a campaign platform that promised to fight wastefulness and corruption in contrast to the perceived spendthrift ways of the Weah administration, Boakai now faces a plethora of problems including a high poverty rate, a growing drug problem among young people, and an anaemic economy still struggling to recover 2 decades after the end of the country’s brutal civil war.

Boakai, who previously served as vice-president under Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, insists that his physical health and fitness are not in question as he seeks to institute reforms in a country with a median age of 18.5 years. His vice-president, 46 year-old Jeremiah Koung previously served as a member of the country’s Senate.

The challenges facing Boakai’s government include a lack of forex, which could soon lead to severe shortages in the import-dependent country, and a growing problem with an illegal synthetic drug known as kush or K2.

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