MONROVIA_The Government of Liberia has pushed back strongly against criticism from human rights lawyer and opposition politician Cllr. Tiawan Saye Gongloe over President Joseph Nyuma Boakai’s extended trip to the United States for the 80th United Nations General Assembly.
Deputy Minister for Press and Public Affairs at the Ministry of Information, Daniel O. Sando, described Gongloe’s comments as cynical and misleading, insisting that the President’s mission was a high-level diplomatic engagement with long-term benefits for Liberia, not a shopping expedition.
“President Boakai didn't go on vacation. He didn't go sightseeing. The trip to the UN General Assembly is not a supermarket trip where you say, ‘Oh, the man went shopping, so he's coming back and we expect to see suitcases on his head,’” Sando said at a press briefing in Monrovia.
Sando was responding to a formal statement issued by Cllr. Gongloe earlier this week, in which the former presidential candidate demanded a full public accounting of Boakai’s 23-day stay in the U.S.
While acknowledging that the President's schedule included UN sessions, congressional meetings in Washington, and engagements with the Liberian diaspora, Gongloe argued that Liberia — ranked among the world's poorest countries — cannot afford prolonged, expensive foreign trips without clear, measurable returns.
Gongloe called on the Executive Mansion to publish the total cost of the trip, the full list of delegates who accompanied the President, the number of cabinet officials who left their posts, and concrete details of any financing secured, agreements signed, and jobs to be created as a result of the mission. He noted that other African leaders spent far less time in New York for the same UNGA session.
According to Gongloe, every dollar spent abroad has an opportunity cost at home, where hospitals lack drugs, schools lack chairs, and roads remain impassable.
But the Ministry of Information says such assessment reduces diplomacy to merchandise.
Sando explained that this year’s UNGA was particularly important for Liberia because of the country's elevated international profile and its role in global peace and security discussions. During the summit, he said, the Liberian delegation successfully hosted two high-level side events — one on Women, Peace and Security and another on Youth, Peace and Security — which placed Liberia at the center of global policy conversations.
He said those forums allowed Liberia to showcase its post-conflict recovery experience, attract potential partners, and strengthen its case for international support.
The Deputy Minister also commended Liberian journalists who covered the President's itinerary from New York to Washington, describing their reporting as comprehensive and balanced, and urged opposition figures to offer constructive criticism rather than persistent negativity that undermines Liberia's diplomatic gains.
Sando maintained that the benefits of UNGA participation cannot be measured by physical items brought back in suitcases, but by relationships built, Liberia's image enhanced, and future investments and partnerships negotiated behind closed doors.
“State engagements of this nature are strategic. They are not personal errands,” he said.
The debate over the trip's cost and duration is expected to continue, with civil society groups also calling for more transparency in presidential travel.
President Boakai has since returned to the country and resumed official duties. The Executive Mansion is yet to publish a detailed financial report on the UNGA trip.