President Sirleaf Addresses Harvard Graduates

Cambridge, Massachusetts - Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf has addressed a commencement convocation at the Harvard University John F. Kennedy School of Government, cautioning graduates to be mindful of human tendencies to resist change.
“For all of you hoping to change the world, to carry back to your professional environment new concepts of management, new models of development, new impetus for leadership whether in your local town, your county or province, your country, your NGO, or your civic organization. Be prepared for the challenge which comes from the resistance to change, from the fear of the unknown and untried. You must be diplomatic and encouraging in your approach, but persistent and focused on achieving results. Be mindful that today’s global environment is influenced by international economic partnerships, by mutuality in interest and benefits, that global interconnectivity removes the protection of national borders. In all of this, you will be helped by your new found knowledge and the impertinence that comes from being a Harvard graduate.”
The President urged graduates to be prepared to go the extra mile in order to be successful. “You will be expected to be knowledgeable and be informed on the national, regional and global dynamics that affect the quality of your management in the public or private institution with which you will work. This will require effort beyond what you have learned here, the knowledge about your environment, the traditions, culture and values of those with whom you must work and interact. You will be expected to be highly competent with knowledge and understanding that enable you to stand out among your colleagues and peers.”
The Liberian leader lauded Harvard University for the support the institution has provided the country in enhancing national capacity.  Last year, six Harvard interns from the Kennedy School worked in Liberia in an effort to enhance capacity constraints of the country. Eleven more Harvard students have already arrived in Monrovia to render similar services.
Among Wednesday’s Harvard graduates was the head of the Public Affairs Department at the Ministry of State, Mr. Amara Konneh. The President said Liberians are all proud of his achievement, adding,  “I am looking forward to bringing him back because I have so much work for him to do.” The Liberian leader also lauded another Kennedy School graduate, Dr. Steve Radelet, who continues to make indispensable contribution to the country’s economic work and partnership coordination.
President Johnson Sirleaf, a graduate of the Kennedy School of Government thirty seven years ago, acknowledged the support received from partners in the international community and beyond, and expressed the hope that a team from the Center of International Development will assist the country’s efforts for national development and renewal.
Meanwhile, the Liberian President has participated in an event in New York to galvanize more support for the Sirleaf Market Women Fund.  In a statement at Wednesday’s fundraiser, the President renewed her determination to improve the conditions of Liberian market women by providing the necessary support that would enable them to become major importers of commodities in the country. Literacy programs being offered market women, the President said, are intended to improve their capacities and help them become better entrepreneurs in the country. She praised private donors for their contribution toward the Sirleaf Market Women Fund, given the country’s inadequate national budget to accommodate all of its needs.
Organized by the African Women’s Development Fund, in collaboration with the New York Society for Ethical Culture Social Services Board, the event attracted hundreds of private donors and other well wishers who expressed support for the initiative.
Wednesday’s program was witnessed by officials of the Sirleaf Market Women Fund, including Gender Minister, Varbah Gayflor, who chairs the National Board of Directors of the Fund; Madam Lusu Sloan, Interim President of the Liberian Marketing Association and a member of the National Board of Directors of the Sirleaf Market Women Fund; as well as Madam Massa Cousli, a marketer from Monrovia.  The two women narrated the experiences of Liberian market women and the challenges they face.
The Chair of the Sirleaf Market Women Fund, Dr. Thelma Awori, thanked the President for accepting the invitation to attend the event and assured her of the Fund’s determination to ensure that the welfare of Liberian market women is improved.
The President, who Tuesday night graced a HERTT fund raising event for the John F. Kennedy Hospital in Monrovia, Liberia’s capital, will Thursday night participate in another fund raising effort at the Global Fund for Women Gala in New York.  More than 600 hundred guests are expected to attend Thursday night’s event.
The Liberian leader climaxes her brief visit to the United States with a fund raising program on Friday for the Liberia Education Trust (LET), followed with a speech Sunday at the commencement convocation of Dartmouth College in New Hampshire, the United States. The President departs the United States later on Sunday for home.