MONROVIA – Managing Director of the National Port Authority, Hon. Sekou A. M. Dukuly, has launched a nationwide fundraising initiative aimed at restoring dignity and functionality to the University of Liberia, placing education at the center of Liberia’s national recovery agenda.
Speaking at the official launch of the NPA–University of Liberia National Fundraising Initiative, Dukuly said the effort is a direct response to the urgent infrastructural challenges confronting the country’s premier institution of higher learning and a practical demonstration of the development vision advanced by President Joseph Nyuma Boakai.
Dukuly acknowledged President Boakai’s ARREST Agenda, noting that its emphasis on people-centered development, institutional renewal, and human capital formation provides the policy foundation for the initiative. He described the fundraising drive as a clear alignment between national policy and institutional action.
According to Dukuly, education remains the most enduring investment any nation can make in its future, and the University of Liberia has historically carried the responsibility of producing the intellectual capital that sustains Liberia’s public service, private sector, and civic life.
However, Dukuly pointed out that the institution is currently grappling with severe infrastructural constraints that undermine the learning environment for thousands of students. These challenges include overcrowded lecture halls, inadequate seating, deteriorating bathroom facilities, and classrooms affected by unresolved roofing leakages.
He stressed that these conditions are not the result of neglect, but rather persistent budgetary limitations that have slowed rehabilitation efforts while student enrollment continues to rise. Dukuly warned that the daily strain placed on students’ dignity and comfort is inconsistent with the aspirations of a nation pursuing sustainable development.
Against this backdrop, Dukuly announced that the National Port Authority has resolved to act decisively. He said the NPA, as one of Liberia’s leading state-owned enterprises, is embracing its responsibility beyond port operations to support national development priorities.
Under the initiative, Dukuly disclosed that the NPA is leading efforts to mobilize at least one million United States dollars to address critical needs at the University of Liberia. The funds will be used to procure at least 28,000 student chairs, rehabilitate essential bathroom facilities, and support urgent classroom renovations, including critical roofing repairs.
Dukuly emphasized that the intervention is not an act of charity but a strategic national investment. He argued that a functional and dignified learning environment is essential to producing competent graduates capable of driving economic recovery, institutional reform, and social transformation.
He stated that strengthening the University of Liberia is synonymous with strengthening the Republic itself, as the institution sits at the core of the country’s intellectual and professional development.
The NPA–University of Liberia Fundraising Initiative, Dukuly explained, is designed as a collective call to conscience and a platform for shared responsibility. It reflects the principle that national development is not the burden of government alone but a collective enterprise.
Dukuly called on public institutions, the private sector, development partners, port users, and patriotic citizens to support the initiative and play a role in restoring dignity to public education.
He reaffirmed the National Port Authority’s commitment to convening stakeholders and sustaining momentum around the fundraising drive until its targets are met and tangible improvements are delivered on campus.
Concluding his remarks, Dukuly urged Liberians to transform the current challenges facing the University of Liberia into an opportunity for national renewal. He described education as the true gateway to Liberia’s progress and reconstruction.
