MONROVIA – Liberian advocate and activist Grace Guar has sharply criticized President Joseph Nyuma Boakai’s latest government reshuffle, questioning whether the appointments reflect competence and public interest or a growing pattern of political loyalty and personal connections.
Guar’s criticism came Friday, September 11, 2026, after President Boakai announced the appointment of Stephen Marka Yekeson Jr. as Acting Minister of Commerce and Industry, replacing Magdalene E. Dagoseh, who is to be reassigned to another government position.
The activist’s strongest objection centers on Yekeson’s return to a senior government position despite questions that surrounded his finances during his previous service in government.
Guar recalled a 2013 Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission asset verification exercise involving Yekeson, who at the time served as Deputy Minister for Administration at the Ministry of Public Works. She questioned why an official whose financial affairs had previously attracted the attention of the country’s anti-corruption institution is now being elevated to lead a major economic ministry.
The historical record shows that then-LACC Chair Frances Johnson-Morris publicly raised questions about deposits attributed to Yekeson. In an October 2013 report by VOA, Johnson-Morris said Yekeson had deposited US$305,590 into three separate bank accounts while his official salary was reported at L$14,137.50, alongside a special allowance of about US$2,250. Johnson-Morris questioned how deposits exceeding US$300,000 over a period of two or three months could be satisfactorily explained.
That history does not establish that Yekeson was convicted of corruption or found guilty of possessing illicit wealth. But Guar argues that the previous questions should matter when the government is deciding who should occupy a sensitive public position responsible for commerce, industry and aspects of Liberia’s economic policy.
“Remember, Mr. Yekeson was accused by the LACC of depositing over US $300,000 in multiple bank accounts while earning a much smaller official salary as Deputy Minister at the Ministry of Public Works,” Guar said in her statement.
Her criticism comes at a politically sensitive moment for the Boakai administration, which has repeatedly emphasized accountability, integrity and responsible conduct in public service.
The Executive Mansion itself said in announcing the latest appointments that public office is a position of trust and cautioned appointed officials to conduct themselves in ways consistent with the standards and values of the administration. The President also said officials would be held accountable for conduct that undermines government integrity or brings public service into disrepute.
That message has created an obvious test for the administration’s latest appointments. If public office is indeed a position of trust, critics are asking whether past questions involving senior appointees should be resolved or publicly clarified before those individuals are returned to positions of greater responsibility.
Guar also questioned the decision to remove Dagoseh from Commerce and Industry and simply state that she will be reassigned. The Executive Mansion has not publicly stated why Dagoseh was removed from the ministry, nor has it identified her new assignment.
The lack of an explanation has added another layer to the debate over the reshuffle. Rather than presenting the changes as a clearly explained restructuring based on performance, institutional needs or policy priorities, the government has so far announced the appointments without providing detailed reasons for the changes at Commerce and Defense.
Guar argued that Liberia has a large pool of qualified professionals who could serve in senior government positions and accused the administration of favoring friends, relatives’ associates, tribal connections and political loyalists.
She called on President Boakai to ensure that appointments are based on qualifications, competence and the national interest rather than political relationships.
Her criticism therefore puts Yekeson’s appointment into a larger debate over the standard the Boakai administration intends to apply when selecting people to manage public institutions.
The Commerce and Industry Ministry is not a ceremonial position. Its leadership touches on private-sector development, investment, trade, business regulation and the government’s efforts to expand economic opportunity.
For Guar, placing someone with a controversial history back into the center of government raises questions that cannot simply be dismissed because the allegations are old.
