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Four years after he lost out of the race to the Executive Mansion in Monrovia, Joseph Boakai has made an incredible return. This time, Mr. Boakai is returning as the next President of Africa’s first independent nation.
1. He was born Joseph Nyumah Boakai on November 30, 1944 in the Worsonga region of Liberia.
2. He started his elementary education in Sierra Leone where he attended primary school before proceeding back home for his secondary and university education.
3. He attended College of West Africa which also has the likes of former Liberian President, Ellen Sirleaf as alumni.
4. For his university education, Boakai attended university of Liberia where he graduated in 1972 with a degree in Business Administration.
5. In the same year, he got married to Katumu Yatta, and together they have 4 kids; 3 boys and a girl.
6. Before politics, Joseph Boakai started his professional career as a staff of Liberia Produce Marketing Corporation (LPMC). He joined the organization in 1973.
7. In 1983, he was named the Minister of Agriculture by one time President, Samuel Doe. He was in office for two years.
8. Mr. Boakai was named the Managing Director of Liberia Petroleum Refinery Company (LPRC) in 1992.
9. He also worked as a consultant for World Bank in Washington, USA.
10. Boakai was elected and subsequently sworn-in as Vice President of Liberia on January 22, 2006 and was in office till January 2018. He served under Sirleaf who is Africa’s first elected female president.
11. In the 2017 keenly contested presidential election, Joseph Boakai was defeated by iconic footballer, George Oppong Weah despite having support from his then principal, outgoing president Ellen Sirleaf.
12. In November 2023, 78-year-old Boakai made an incredible return to defeat incumbent George Weah and has been declared President-elect. In a show of sportsmanship, President Weah has congratulated Mr. Boakai who would now be sworn-in on January 22, 2024.
