– After Cabinet Removal
By Jerromie S. Walters
MONROVIA, Liberia — The two female ministers relieved from President Joseph Nyuma Boakai Sr.’s Cabinet in a September 11, 2026 reshuffle have broken their silence, each issuing separate statements of gratitude to the President and reflecting on their tenures at the helm of two of Liberia’s most strategic ministries.
Brigadier General Geraldine Janet George (Rtd.), former Minister of National Defense, and Madam Magdalene Ellen Dagoseh, former Minister of Commerce and Industry, both expressed profound appreciation to President Boakai for the confidence he reposed in them and for the opportunity to serve the Liberian people.
Their statements came as the reshuffle continues to generate national debate over women’s representation in the highest levels of government. The relief of the two ministers reduced female representation in Liberia’s 19 core ministerial positions from nine to seven, undoing the historic 42.1 percent share achieved after the September 2 reshuffle.
In the new appointments, Cllr. Oswald Natu Tweh will serve as Acting Minister of National Defense, while Mr. Stephen Marka Yekeson Jr. takes over as Acting Minister of Commerce and Industry. Both outgoing ministers are to be reassigned, though the Executive Mansion has not yet announced their new positions.
George: “A Great Honor and a Humbling Responsibility”
In a note of appreciation issued following her removal, Brigadier General Geraldine Janet George (Rtd.) said she wished to express her profound gratitude to President Boakai for the confidence he reposed in her and the opportunity to serve the Republic of Liberia as Minister of National Defense.
“Serving in his Administration has been a great honor and a humbling responsibility,” George said. “I am grateful for the trust, guidance, and support extended to me during my tenure, and for the opportunity to contribute, in my own way, to the peace, security, and development of our beloved country.”
She said that as she transitions from public office, she remains deeply committed to Liberia and will continue to support the President’s vision and the national interest in whatever capacity she may be called upon to serve.
“I extend my sincere appreciation to my colleagues in Government, the leadership and personnel of the Ministry of National Defense, the Armed Forces of Liberia, our security partners, and the Liberian people for their support and cooperation throughout my tenure,” she said.
George closed her statement with a prayer for the nation and its leader. “May God continue to guide His Excellency the President and bless the Republic of Liberia,” she said. “Thank you, Mr. President, for the opportunity to serve.”
Her removal from the Ministry of National Defense drew particular attention from women’s rights advocates, who tied 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.
The Feminist Coalition, in its statement responding to the reshuffle, said that “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.”
Dagoseh: “A Valuable Opportunity to Contribute”
Madam Magdalene Ellen Dagoseh, the replaced Minister of Commerce and Industry, also extended her profound gratitude and sincere appreciation to President Boakai for the confidence he reposed in her and for affording her the opportunity to serve the Liberian people.
“Serving under his leadership has been a great honor and a valuable opportunity to contribute to the ARREST Agenda for Inclusive Development, particularly in advancing commerce, supporting Liberian businesses, promoting entrepreneurship, and creating opportunities for our people,” Dagoseh said.
She said she remains deeply grateful for the trust, guidance, and support received during her tenure and will continue to cherish the privilege of serving Liberia and contributing, in every capacity possible, to the progress and prosperity of the nation. “May God continue to grant His Excellency wisdom, strength, and courage as he leads our country toward a more prosperous and inclusive future,” she said.
Dagoseh’s removal from the Ministry of Commerce and Industry was also flagged by the Feminist Coalition, which described women’s leadership at the ministry as critical to inclusive economic governance.
The coalition noted 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.
A Historic High Reversed
The September 11 changes followed a September 2 reshuffle in which Boakai elevated women to nine of the 19 core Cabinet posts, up from seven in early 2025, when women held approximately 39 percent of the positions — a figure described at the time as a historic high for female participation in Liberia’s highest decision-making body.
The 19 core Cabinet positions are Foreign Affairs; Finance and Development Planning; State for Presidential Affairs; Justice and Attorney-General; National Defense; Local Government; Minister of State Without Portfolio; Agriculture; Public Works; Health and Social Welfare; Commerce and Industry; Information; Mines and Energy; Labor; Transport; Gender, Children and Social Protection; Education; Posts and Telecommunications; and Youth and Sports.
With the latest changes, seven women remain in the Cabinet, a reduction that analysts say weakens the administration’s recent narrative of inclusive governance. The seven remaining women include Sara Beysolow Nyanti, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Dean of the Cabinet, a former UN Assistant Secretary-General with nearly three decades of global governance and peacebuilding experience who led Liberia’s successful campaign for a non-permanent UN Security Council seat for the 2026–2027 term.
Also among them is Dr. Louise Mapleh Kpoto, Minister of Health, a physician-obstetrician holding a PhD in Tropical Medicine and a Master of Public Health in Epidemiology who was inducted as a Fellow of the West African College of Surgeons in February 2025.
Dr. Jarso Maley Jallah, Minister of Education and a UNESCO Executive Board member, has implemented free public primary education from Kindergarten through Grade 6 beginning with the 2026–2027 academic year.
Gbeme Horace-Kollie, Minister of Gender, Children and Social Protection, has prioritized decentralizing operations to county levels and expediting cases of sexual and gender-based violence through technology and specialized legal mechanisms.
Atty. Cornelia Wonkerleh Kruah, Minister of Youth and Sports, at 35 became the youngest person to hold the position, bringing experience from the Ministry of State and Ministry of Education.
Hadja Mamaka Bility, Minister of State Without Portfolio, oversees the President’s Delivery Unit, chairs the Liberia Corporation for Strategic Investment and is spearheading efforts to establish a National Peace, Reconciliation and Memorial Museum.
Cllr. Betty Muslyn Lamin-Blamo, Minister-designate of Justice, is a Columbia University LL.M. graduate and former Solicitor General awaiting Senate confirmation to succeed Cllr. N. Oswald Tweh.
Lamin-Blamo’s appointment comes as the Ministry of Justice confronts heightened public scrutiny over high-profile criminal investigations, anti-corruption cases and narcotics-related matters.
Following the latest appointments, the Feminist Coalition called on President Boakai to clarify the status of the 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 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 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.”
It 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.
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.”
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.
