President Boakai Keeps 2024 Commitment: Government Unveils Vessel-Shaped Dormitory at Regional Maritime University

MONROVIA, LIBERIA: In a high-impact regional milestone that simultaneously solidifies Liberia’s maritime diplomacy and fulfills a presidential commitment, the Government of Liberia has on Friday, June 27, 2025, formally dedicated a state-of-the-art student dormitory at the Regional Maritime University (RMU) in Accra, Ghana.

By: Abraham Sylvester Panto

The dedication marks the full realization of President Joseph Nyuma Boakai’s 2024 pledge to enhance Liberia’s support for maritime education and regional academic infrastructure.

The 50-bed facility is strategically designed in the form of a maritime vessel and aptly named SS World Peace in homage to the first vessel registered under the Liberian flag following the founding of the country’s global maritime program in 1948.

The vessel was completed in record time and handed over during the 33rd Board of Governors’ Meeting of RMU, attracting stakeholders from across West and Central Africa’s maritime governance landscape.

Delivering the dedication statement on behalf of President Boakai, Minister of State for Special Projects, Samuel Stevquoah, characterized the dormitory not merely as an accommodation solution but as a tangible reinforcement of Liberia’s strategic influence in global shipping.

Underscoring the project's relevance beyond aesthetics and symbolism, Minister Stevquoah emphasized that SS World Peace represents a calculated national investment in regional integration, maritime leadership, and youth empowerment, particularly benefiting Liberian students whose academic progression at RMU had long been constrained by housing shortages and cross-border living costs.

Echoing the Liberian government’s commitment to institutional reliability, RMU Chancellor and Sierra Leonean Transport Minister Ambassador Alhaji Fanday Turay applauded President Boakai for demonstrating what he described as leadership through delivery.

Turay added that President Boakai’s action places Liberia at the forefront of regional maritime innovation while simultaneously addressing student welfare in practical terms.

The Liberia Maritime Authority, which directly supervised the implementation of the dormitory initiative, was represented by Commissioner and Chief Executive Officer Cllr. Neto Zarzar Lighe described the infrastructure as both a monument of maritime heritage and a forward-facing contribution to regional academic functionality.

Commissioner Lighe further asserted that the successful completion of the dormitory aligns squarely with Liberia’s statutory responsibility as a founding member of RMU.

He added that the effort positions Liberia not only as a financial contributor but as an active partner in the institutional sustainability of maritime education across West Africa.

The occasion also drew the participation of LiMA’s Board Chairman Tornorlah Varpilah, who joined other regional dignitaries in reinforcing the significance of RMU’s role as a continental hub for technical maritime training.

Tornorlah asserted that Liberia’s visible commitment to the university cements the country’s identity as more than just the world’s second-largest ship registry but as a knowledge economy within the shipping industry.

While the dedication marked a physical handover, it also triggered strategic discourse during the broader Board of Governors’ deliberations on maritime curriculum modernization, regional student mobility, and infrastructural equity.

The dormitory now stands as a concrete indicator of Liberia’s sustained presence in maritime affairs beyond registry revenues, signaling a deliberate policy shift toward education, infrastructure, and multilateral support systems that can elevate the region’s maritime capacity in line with international standards.