George Weah, Liberia’s new President in a speech on Tuesday on the first day of an official visit to Paris, stated his readiness to fight corruption as he spoke about conditions in his “broke country”
The former international football star who, took the reins of the Presidency on January 22, is facing a very bad economic situation in Liberia following two civil wars and a deadly Ebola epidemic in 2013-2015.
“I inherited a country that is very broke, depleted by political malfeasance. We have to make sure that the things that happened will not happen again.
“I ordered a complete audit to make sure that what belongs to the government goes to the government.”
Weah also talked about education for the youth, who make up 60 percent of Liberia’s 4.7 million inhabitants, being a priority.
“I believe in education. Yes, I didn’t have the opportunity in my early days but after my career I went back to school. Today I can boast of a master’s degree
“Founded 170 years ago by freed slaves, Liberia is the oldest African country but we don’t have an engineering school. We don’t even have a diagnosis centre to tell if someone has Ebola,” Weah said, promising to what it would take to ensure more children in school and “to leave the street”.
On his first foreign trip as president, Weah on Wednesday will meet with French President Emmanuel Macron at the Elysee Palace, along with several sports figures, and the vice president of the World Bank for Africa, Makhtar Diop.