MONROVIA, Liberia — The Feminist Coalition is calling on President Joseph Nyuma Boakai, Sr. to clarify the status of two reassigned female ministers, warning that their removal from strategic Cabinet posts without announced replacements risks reversing what the administration had recently celebrated as historic progress on women’s inclusion in governance.
In a statement issued Friday, the coalition “respectfully call[ed] on President Joseph Nyuma Boakai, Sr. to provide clarity regarding the reassignment of Hon. Geraldine J. George and Hon. Magdalene E. Dagoseh and to ensure that their new assignments are announced without unnecessary delay and are commensurate with their qualifications, experience and demonstrated leadership.”
The call follows a September 11 reshuffle in which Boakai relieved George as Minister of National Defense and Dagoseh as Minister of Commerce and Industry, naming Cllr. Oswald Natu Tweh and Mr. Stephen Marka Yekeson Jr. as acting ministers of those portfolios, respectively. Both outgoing ministers are to be reassigned, but no new posts were announced.
The changes reduce female representation in Liberia’s 19 core ministerial positions from nine to seven — undoing the 42.1 percent share the administration achieved after a September 2 reshuffle that women’s groups had publicly hailed as a milestone. “A Change in Assignment Must Not Become a Reduction in Influence”
The coalition said its frustration was sharpened by the timing. Only days earlier, it had joined Liberian women and rights advocates in commending Boakai for elevating women to key leadership positions, calling the increased Cabinet representation a demonstration of political will toward inclusive governance.
“It is therefore disappointing that, at a time when women and women’s rights organizations are celebrating these gains, two women are being moved from strategic portfolios without clarity regarding their next assignments,” the statement read.
“A change in assignment must not become a reduction in influence. Reassigning qualified women from strategic portfolios without immediately identifying equally meaningful positions risks undermining the very progress the Administration has demonstrated. Women should not have to celebrate gaining a seat at the table today, only to question whether that seat will still exist tomorrow.”
The coalition singled out George’s removal from the Ministry of National Defense as particularly significant, tying women’s leadership in the security sector to Liberia’s obligations under United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 and related resolutions, as well as the country’s National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security.
“At a time when Liberia is working to strengthen women’s participation in the security sector and deepen implementation of its Women, Peace and Security commitments, women must remain visible and influential at the highest levels of security leadership,” the coalition said.
It similarly described women’s leadership at the Ministry of Commerce and Industry as critical to inclusive economic governance, noting that Liberian women are heavily engaged in petty trade, markets, agriculture, entrepreneurship and cross-border commerce while facing persistent barriers to finance, formalization, market access and business growth.
The coalition argued that progress must be measured not only by the number of women appointed, but by whether women are retained in positions of authority and given meaningful opportunities to shape decisions on peace, security, governance and economic development.
“For the Feminist Coalition, the question is no longer simply where these women are going next,” the statement said. “The more important question is whether women are being moved out of strategic decision-making spaces at a time when their representation in those spaces is being celebrated as progress.”
The coalition urged the administration to sustain and deepen gains in women’s representation by appointing more qualified women at national and local levels and across all sectors — warning against concentrating women’s leadership in ministries and agencies traditionally associated with women and social issues.
“Qualified women must have opportunities to lead across the full spectrum of national development, including security, justice, economic governance, finance, infrastructure, natural resources, agriculture, technology, education, health, diplomacy, public administration and other strategic sectors,” the statement read.
It also called for greater opportunities for women at county, district and community levels in local government and decentralized governance structures.
The coalition stressed that its position “is not about personalities or political affiliation,” but about “protecting and expanding women’s right to participate fully and meaningfully in the governance, peace, security and development of Liberia.” It reaffirmed its commitment to constructive engagement with the government while holding firmly to its responsibility to speak out where gains appear threatened.
“As feminists and women’s rights advocates, where progress is made, we will commend it. Where those gains appear threatened, we have an equal responsibility to speak out,” the statement said.
The coalition closed by expressing hope that George and Dagoseh “continue to contribute meaningfully to national leadership in positions that reflect their qualifications, experience and capacity to serve Liberia.”
Who Remains
With the latest changes, seven women remain in the Cabinet: Sara Beysolow Nyanti (Foreign Affairs), Dr. Louise Mapleh Kpoto (Health), Dr. Jarso Maley Jallah (Education), Gbeme Horace-Kollie (Gender, Children and Social Protection), Atty. Cornelia Wonkerleh Kruah (Youth and Sports), Hadja Mamaka Bility (State Without Portfolio) and Cllr. Betty Muslyn Lamin-Blamo, Minister-designate of Justice, who is awaiting Senate confirmation.
The Feminist Coalition comprises medica Liberia, the Liberia Feminist Forum, the Women NGOs Secretariat of Liberia, Sisters 4 Sisters Liberia and the Radical Young Women Movement Liberia.
