Concern Liberian International Business Organization Inc. (COLINBO) inducted a new leadership over the weekend in Monrovia.
Speaking at the induction ceremony, held at a local hotel, the President of COLINBO, Moses T. Chayee, underscored the need to empower Liberian businesses in the country.
According to President Chayee, “The time has come for a new dawn for Liberian businesses. Our vision is clear: to strengthen COLINBO as a bridge between private sector, government and international partners to champion policies that empower Liberian-owned businesses.”
He noted that this will create an opportunity that will uplift our people, especially women and youth in enterprise and innovation.
He indicated that the collective strength of COLINBO is far greater than the sum of individualism, adding that speaking with one voice will carry power to achieve the needed results for Liberian businesses.
President Chayee maintained that COLINBO will foster collaboration between small, medium and large businesses, creating platforms for mentorship, networking and shared learning.
“Let us rise beyond competition and embrace cooperation, for when one Liberian business succeeds, we all succeed,” he stated.
He appealed to the Liberian government and development partners to support Liberian-owned businesses, not with rhetoric but policies, programs and finances that make real impact to transform their businesses.
President Chayee also urged the government to create an enabling environment where Liberians are not spectators, but architects and beneficiaries of the wealth creation in their own land, noting that the future of Liberia’s economy cannot be outsourced.
Earlier, the Executive Governor of the Central Bank of Liberia (CBL), Henry F. Saamoi, who was the keynote speaker but was represented by the Director of Development Finance Department of CBL, Jay Gbleh-bo Brown II, challenged members of COLINBO to strengthen debt payment to banks and financial institutions in Liberia.
Director Brown said entrepreneurship is the heartbeat of every thriving economy, adding that no country has ever achieved sustained growth without empowering its entrepreneurs to innovate, create jobs and to expand opportunities.
According to him, “For Liberia, strengthening local entrepreneurship is not simply an option; it is a necessity if we are to address unemployment, build resilience, reduce our dependence as well as our vulnerabilities to external shocks.”
He pointed out that yet entrepreneurship cannot thrive in an isolation; it requires a supportive financial system, strong institutions, and strategic partnerships, and that COLINBO has critical role to play between domestic financial institutions and Liberian businesses to ensure that entrepreneurs not only have access to opportunities but also use them responsibly.
Director Brown assured COLINBO that CBL is committed to supporting entrepreneurs and strengthening the financial system in a way that benefit Liberian businesses.
Meanwhile, Finance Minister Augustine K. Ngafuan, who inducted COLINBO’ s new officials, charged them to be dedicated and committed to their organization to move Liberian businesses forward.
Those inducted are Moses T. Chayee, President; Michael K. Johnson, Vice President for Administration; George W. Kumakeh, Vice President for Operation; Kusee L. Armstrong, Secretary General; Abigail Todd, Financial Secretary; Cita Willie, Treasurer; John Beyan Sumo, Public Relation Officer (PRO); Rev. Jason F. Cassell, Chaplain; and Ansu V. Trawally, Muslim Chaplain.
