Monrovia-Dec. 17/24: The Joseph Nyuma Boakai Foundation yesterday announced forming a partnership with Garden Fish Farm of Liberia in the area of agriculture. Garden Fish Farm has operated in Liberia for many years and specializes in fishery fingerlings. It is owned and operated by Liberian businessman Mr. Divine Key Anderson. 

At a brief and informal ceremony at the charity’s Rehab Headquarters (Monday), Anderson announced his company was ready to offer the 5 million fingerlings over a five-year period, a process that would enable the JNB Foundation to start its own fishpond. This initiative, he said, is his way of contributing toward Pres. Boakai’s agriculture programs.

“We are excited that our President is a farmer. We want to support his ARREST Initiative” already launched by the President in his effort to make Liberia self-reliant, he said.  

Mr. Divine expressed deep regret for seeing Liberia, probably with the longest coastline in the region, and with plenty of big rivers still importing fish from other countries.

He described it as “unacceptable” that Liberia would have other nations with fewer rivers exporting fish to this country, and vowed, saying, “We have a farmer president, and we are determined to change that [trend].” 

With his (Boakai’s) ARREST Agenda, the first thing here is agriculture. We are determined to make sure that this comes to fruition. We are not going to sit by and be spectators. We are going to contribute…We are going to push on because this country is for all of us, the President is just there for a season,” he stated.   

Responding, Hon. Jackson George, Executive Director of the Joseph Nyuma Boakai Foundation, thanked the donor and promised to convey news of the goodwill gesture to the foundation’s board chairperson, Rev. David Fatormah and also owner of the JNB Foundation H.E. Amb. Joseph Nyuma Boakai, Sr. 

Hon. George said that beginning next January the foundation would start giving out 1 million fingerlings to local farmers so they too can start their own pond, or fish production.

He is meanwhile requesting farmers of Liberia to contact his foundation to begin the process; writes James Kokulo Fasuekoi