What we Found on President Boakai's word 'Comprehensive' in SONA
Claim: "I didn’t say 'comprehensive'; the survey was done on two counties."
Source: Joseph N. Boakai, President-Liberia
Full Text: Joseph N. Boakai was one of the five presidents invited by US President Donald Trump at the US-Africa summit.
The summit brought together presidents from Senegal, Mauritius, Gabon, Guinea-Bissau, and Liberia.
Trump opened the summit with a four-minute speech in which he claimed the five invited leaders were representing the entire African continent.
He then announced that the US was “shifting from AID to trade” because “this will be far more effective and sustainable and beneficial than anything else that we could be doing together.
Boakai in his statement to Trump, requested the US to conduct a “proper and comprehensive survey” of Liberia’s vast mineral resources, including iron ore, gold, diamonds, and rare earth elements.
But when Boakai returned from the summit on July 11 at Roberts International Airport, journalists interviewed him on his request to the US, comparing it with what he said at the 2024 annual message.
Verdict: To verify this claim, we contacted the Presidential Press Secretary on the claim.
Kula Fofana said the request by Boakai to Trump was specifically related to the 15 counties and not just a few counties, as done by the Chinese.
"When the president said 'comprehensive,' he meant covering the entire country, and the intent in the US was not for the request for a mineral survey in one or a few places.
"At SONA, the president reported to the Legislature; the Chinese did very few counties and their study was comprehensive to the particular counties that they did. For example, if they selected this county, the survey was peculiar to that county and that where the comprehensive nature comes in."
The press secretary clarified that when the president spoke at the airport, he meant a holistic, comprehensive survey of the entire country, not like the one done by the Chinese, as he mentioned in his SONA.
"The president is interested in knowing the mineral deposits all over the country; that is why the request was given to the US president. And he was correct when he said that what the Chinese did was the most recent in five decades, and it was just a few counties, as I said."
This is what Boakai said when he returned from the summit: “I did not say comprehensive; the survey was done on two counties and we have 15 counties, while we ask the Chinese to continue, we also ask the American, we want to know what we have to plan for it, and so we are open we don’t have the technology but our interest is to know what we have.”
And a review of the 2025 State of the Nation address (SONA), this is what was said, “Honorable Speaker and distinguished members of the 55th Legislature, I am pleased to report that we have received a mineral resource survey report from the Government of the People’s Republic of China. This report provides new insights into Liberia’s mineral resource potential and represents the most comprehensive scientific investigation conducted in over five decades. We extend our gratitude to the People’s Republic of China for funding this important project.
Vandalark Patricks says having the Chinese and the Americans conduct surveys on our minerals will give Liberia a better understanding of what to do with our minerals.
"It's good to have a countercheckof information, and the invitation extended to the Americans to do another survey is essential."
"It's good to have a countercheckof information, and the invitation extended to the Americans to do another survey is essential."
Rosa Dahn, a policy expert, says both statements are contradictions on the grounds that if the survey was done in two counties, it won't be comprehensive.
"Either the president misled the Legislature or his cabinet misled him, and he must take responsibility."
Dahn thinks the request made to Trump is important to determine what the Chinese survey is and what the US survey will be.
Conclusion: After a review of the two statements, it is a fact that the 'comprehensive' was attributed to the report by the Chinese. We take note that the SONA falls short of any counties where the survey was conducted.
