-Minister Kruah Rallies Support After Senate Confirmation
By Jerromis S. Walters
Monrovia, Liberia– Hours after being confirmed by the Liberian Senate on Tuesday, February 17, 2026, Liberia’s Minister of Youth and Sports, Cllr. Cornelia Wonkerleh Kruah, called for national collaboration, urging every Liberian to contribute to the transformation of the country’s youth sector.
In her first public statement via her official Facebook page, Cllr. Kruah declared that the task of empowering Liberia’s young population transcends partisan lines and social divisions. “The work starts NOW! This one is for US!” Cllr. Kruah proclaimed. “Thanks for the support. We need all hands on deck irrespective of political, economic, social, or religious affiliation. Stay close.”
Her message follows a confirmation hearing just over a week ago, where she outlined a bold vision to move youth development “from programs to architecture,” framing it as an “economic imperative” and a matter of “national survival.”
From Programs to Architecture:
During her confirmation hearing before the Liberian Senate on February 9, 2026, the newly appointed Minister of Youth and Sports, Cllr. Cornelia Wonkerleh Kruah, laid out a transformative vision for the country’s young population, calling for a fundamental shift in how the government approaches youth development.
Declaring that the ministry must move “from programs to architecture,” Cllr. Kruah, 35, challenged both lawmakers and the nation to see young Liberians not as future leaders, but as present-day drivers of national progress. “Today, I want to speak about how Liberia begins to think about youth in the present tense, not the future tense,” Cllr. Kruah stated. “How we move from praising potential to designing systems that allow such potential to bloom.”
A proud native of Nimba County, an Attorney-at-Law, and a mother, Cllr. Kruah comes to the role from her position as Deputy Minister for Administration at the Ministry of State for Presidential Affairs. She framed her personal journey as a testament to the very systems she now seeks to build for others.
“The very pathways that my family and community helped create for me are the same pathways that are missing for hundreds of thousands of young Liberians,” she told the Senate panel.
Cllr. Kruah grounded her policy vision in stark demographic reality. Noting that nearly 75 percent of Liberia’s population is below the age of 35, she argued that youth development can no longer be treated as a peripheral concern. “In a country where nearly 75 percent of the population is below 35, and over 40 percent below 18, youth development is not only a social issue,” she asserted. “It is an economic imperative. It is a governance necessity. It is a national survival.”
Before outlining her policy goals, Cllr. Kruah paused to honor the memory of two prominent youth advocates: Varney Alieu Jarsey and Augustine Tamba, former presidents of the Liberia National Student Union and the Federation of Liberian Youth, respectively, whose recent passing she noted as a profound loss for the nation.
Addressing the senators directly, she dismissed any focus on her age or appearance, instead asking to be evaluated on the substance of her vision.
“Do not judge me by my age, and certainly not by my appearance,” Cllr. Kruah implored. “Judge me by my ideas. Judge me by my decisions. Judge me by my results.”
She concluded her remarks with a pledge of universal service, positioning herself as an advocate for every young Liberian, regardless of their background.
“Whoever you are. Whatever you do. Wherever you live. I will be your Minister. Working and fighting for you every single day,” she vowed.
