Veep Boakai wants Liberian ownership of economy

Vice President Boakai (3rd from left) says Liberians must open doors of opportunities that will create jobs

Vice President Boakai (3rd from left) says Liberians must open doors of opportunities that will create jobs

Liberia’s Vice President Joseph Nyumah Boakai Sr. has asked Liberians to take full ownership of the country and its economy by venturing into different types of businesses across the country.

Serving on Wednesday, September 7 as chief launcher of Nobel Liberia Limited, a multifaceted financial institutition, Vice President Boakai indicated that when this is done, Liberians will be on the way to taking full ownership of their country. “Because, if one can open doors of opportunities that will create jobs for others; then that person has begun to take ownership of his or her country.”

Ambassador Boakai also called on Liberians, irrespective of status, to patronize Liberian-owned businesses. Some of them, he said, will begin small, “but we have to help them to grow by patronizing them regularly.”

“We want to congratulate Nobel, particularly Jallah Kesselly, for his optimism that Liberians can be involved in adding value to our local commodities that will create jobs and opportunities for others,” he said.

Speaking earlier, the President and CEO of the company, Jallah C. Kesselly said Nobel Liberia Limited is entering the Liberian financial and imports market to provide affordable, high-quality products and services available to the average Liberian; both at home and abroad in the Diaspora. 

“Our financial services are facilitated by a strategic partnership with the Liberia Bank for Development and Investment (LBDI) through which we will be providing very competitive money transfer services in Liberia along with 24 x 7 ATM banking services. Our goal is to have ATM machines at all LBDI branches across the country. Our money transfer service provides international remittance to Liberia from the United States via our US partner entity, Nobel Financial Inc; a duly licensed money transmitter across multiple US states,” Mr. Kesselly indicated.

As a way of expanding the company’s impact on the Liberian economy, Mr. Kesselly said a partnership deal has been reached with LBDI for the provision of ATM banking services at all of the bank’s branches across the country. 

He added that through the partnership with LBDI, receivers of Nobel money transfers can have their funds loaded onto an ATM card without going through the stress of standing in long queues to get their cash.

Mr. Kesselly pointed out that the ATM card that will be provided as part of this enhanced service can also be linked to an LBDI bank account, adding “the goal of this innovation is to encourage Liberians in the US and their relatives in the country to bank with LBDI.”

According to him, Nobel Liberia Limited’s future plans do not stop with ATMs. Recognizing that the future of financial services is mobile, the group plans to launch an electronic wallet mobile application soon. 

The youthful Liberian entrepreneur further indicated that the company built by Liberians for Liberians, setting it apart from its rivals in the industry.

“Unlike our competitors in the money transfer space, who maintain their operations outside of Liberia, we have the largest staff of over twenty (20) people employed at our Monrovia office, that number is expected to increase quickly as we ramp-up operations in order to ensure high quality service levels. Our competitors don’t have staff here in Liberia like we do,” Mr. Kesselly added.

Nobel Liberia Limited also maintains a portfolio of value-added services, including its Nobel express service, offering an alternative to money transfer by providing the Liberian diaspora a highly unique, secure and convenient way to send goods, including food stuffs, to family and friends in country.  

Mr. Kesselly disclosed that with Nobel Express, Liberians in the US who usually send money to their families back home for medical, infrastructural and food purposes can now go to bed without any fear that the money they send will be used for anything other than its intended purpose.

“We will be that conduit through which Liberians in the US can send money to their family members, for instance, to build a house and that money will be used for the intended purpose. We will do same for medical bills payment, food distribution of rice as well as school fees as far as Grand Gedeh. We will receive monies on behalf of people and do as they request,” he emphasized.

Mr. Kesselly stressed that Nobel international group maintains a resounding trust and confidence in the Liberian economy and that, through the group’s continued support, Nobel Liberia will help in driving much needed advancement in the country’s financial services sector, buttressing economic development at large.

For his part, LBDI President John B. S. Davies expressed gratitude to the management of Nobel Liberia for the investment. He said the launch of the services shows that Liberians are now ready to take over their economy, which will provide opportunities and create jobs in the private sector.

He said the availability of the ATM machine at the premier development banking institution in Liberia will give LBDI a competitive edge in the financial sector of Liberia.