MONROVIA – In a profound display of African solidarity and academic cooperation, the Liberia Institute of Statistics and Geo-Information Services (LISGIS) on Friday, April 25, 2025, hosted a colorful welcome ceremony for Mr. David Norris, Vice Chancellor of the University of Botswana, at its Monrovia headquarters. The gathering marked a milestone in the ongoing partnership between LISGIS, the University of Liberia, and the University of Botswana, one that stresses a shared commitment to data-driven development, higher education reform, and collaboration.
Mr. Boima H.M. Sonii, Deputy Director General for Statistics and Data at LISGIS, set the tone for the ceremony with a warm and heartfelt welcome to Vice Chancellor Norris and his delegation. He described the visit as both a privilege and an affirmation of the growing ties between the institutions. “Liberia and Botswana may be geographically distinct, but our aspirations of building stronger knowledge-based societies are very much aligned,” Sonii noted, praising the University of Botswana’s reputation for academic rigor and regional impact.
Dr. Norris, widely recognized for his leadership in higher education across Africa, has been instrumental in advocating for universities to serve as engines of socio-economic growth. His visit, according to Mr. Sonii, is not only symbolic but indicative of the concrete steps being taken toward building research-driven policy structures across the continent. The LISGIS executive expressed hope that this visit would foster deeper institutional collaboration and enduring partnerships.
Mr. Sonii lauded the University of Botswana’s evolution since its 1982 founding, hailing its transformation from a regional college into a continental powerhouse in innovation and policy research. He called on Liberia’s academic community to harness such partnerships to confront challenges like data literacy, evidence-based planning, and statistical capacity building, particularly in a nation that continues to rebuild and reposition its development trajectory.
Representing the University of Liberia, Professor Weade Kobbah-Boley, Vice President for Institutional Development and Planning, reflected on the significance of the trilateral collaboration. She highlighted the history of academic exchange between Liberia and Botswana and emphasized the role of data and research in shaping sound public policy. “No matter how committed we are to development, without evidence-based research, nothing works,” she stressed.
Boley described the partnership as timely, particularly as African countries rethink their overreliance on Western institutions. “We must minimize the North-South dynamic and instead amplify South-South cooperation,” she said. “We understand our challenges better than anyone, and we are best positioned to craft solutions that work for us.” Her remarks echoed a growing continental sentiment for self-reliance and intra-African collaboration.
In his own remarks, Dr. Norris expressed deep appreciation for Liberia’s hospitality and reaffirmed his belief in data as a transformative resource. He noted that many of Africa’s development setbacks stem from decisions made without empirical evidence. “Knowledge and data are the new oil,” he declared. “The richest companies in the world today are knowledge-driven, not mineral-rich. That tells us where the future lies.”
Dr. Norris emphasized that universities must be relevant and impactful, warning that any institution of higher learning that does not contribute to national development should reconsider its purpose. He praised the LISGIS partnership as a model of the “quadruple helix” approach, linking academia, government, industry, and civil society, to drive innovation and development in Africa.
He also highlighted the University of Botswana’s commitment to transforming from a teaching-heavy institution to a research-centered one, aligning with global standards in higher education. “We must ensure that our teaching is informed by up-to-date research. Otherwise, we are simply recycling outdated knowledge,” Norris said, urging African universities to embrace international ranking systems to measure and enhance their global competitiveness.
He further applauded LISGIS for its forward-thinking initiatives and described the collaboration with the University of Liberia as a testament to what African universities can achieve together. “We must continue to build a network of African institutions that shape our own destiny,” he added, commending Liberia’s readiness to invest in the training of students in mathematics, statistics, and data science.
LISGIS Director General Richard F. Ngafuan, in his special remarks, placed the visit in a historical context. He recounted Liberia’s founding in 1847 and its longstanding role as a beacon of African unity and freedom. Ngafuan praised Dr. Norris for his pan-African vision and passion for transforming the continent through knowledge and collaborative leadership.
“It is always inspiring to see Africans like you, Dr. Norris, who travel across this vast continent with a singular purpose to contribute to Africa’s growth,” Ngafuan said. He called the visit a reaffirmation of Liberia’s place in Africa’s intellectual and development discourse and pledged LISGIS’ continued support for the tripartite partnership.
He acknowledged the challenges African universities face, particularly the marginalization of African academic institutions in the global research ecosystem. “Too often, even our continental bodies rely on foreign universities for consultancy and research. This must change,” he said. “We must empower our own institutions to lead and define Africa’s development agenda.”
Ngafuan, who also chairs the African Statistical Commission, shared his own experiences working with Botswana and South Africa on the commission. He praised their dedication and intellectual rigor, noting that such partnerships are key to achieving the African Union’s Agenda 2063 goals.
Mrs. Mariah Gilayeneh, Deputy Director General for Administration at LISGIS, closed the ceremony with remarks and extended heartfelt appreciation to Dr. David Norris for his historic visit to Liberia. “We wholeheartedly thank Dr. David Norris for choosing to visit Liberia,” she stated.
“He is here to create a strong bond, a strong partnership for collaboration between our two institutions and the University of Botswana. We are happy to have you here, and we know and recognize that your impactful contributions to education in Botswana are being and will continue to be felt in Liberia.”
Mrs. Gilayeneh emphasized the importance of using the visit to build a lasting alliance for higher education and mutual academic growth. “We hope that the partnership we are forging today will be a catalyst through which both our countries may enjoy the fruits of higher education for our students, our communities, and our working people,” she added.
Concluding her remarks, she presented Dr. Norris with a symbolic token bearing the LISGIS logo. “We hope you hang this in the university office, and whenever your eyes fall upon it, remember that you have a partnership here,” she said. “Thank you for choosing to visit us.”
