Presidential Envoy on Tourism Chris Onanuga Rallies Government and Media Coordination At Presidential Media Dinner
Monrovia, Liberia: Presidential Envoy on Tourism Ambassador Christopher Hayes Onanuga has described the Fourth Estate as a central force in sustaining national cohesion, while referring to the Liberian media as an essential pillar in the country’s democratic stability and forward movement.
Remarking at the First Annual Presidential Media Dinner on Thursday, April 10, 2025, held at the Ellen Johnson Sirleaf Ministerial Complex in Congo Town, President Joseph Nyuma Boakai’s Envoy on Tourism maintained that Liberia’s press corps has historically been at the forefront of efforts to consolidate peace and sustain national stability.
He emphasizes that the institutional role of the media, particularly during moments of political transition and public uncertainty, has positioned it as a reliable mechanism for dialogue and consensus-building.
“The only people who have consistently made that unity possible and will continue to do so are the Fourth Estate,” the Chief Executive Officer of CT-Com Liberia Limited, owner of Kool FM 91.9, Television, and Knewsonline, asserted.
He underscored the administration’s perspective on media as a structural component of national governance, not a peripheral actor.
The presidential media event, which brought together journalists, media executives, government officials, and development partners, was framed as an intentional shift toward institutionalizing state-media dialogue in a more respectful, structured manner.
According to the Ambassador Onanuga, the gathering signaled the Boakai-Koung administration’s commitment to advancing a culture of inclusive national engagement through consistent communication with the media.
He stated that the President’s invitation was not simply a gesture of goodwill but a direct call to prioritize national unity as the guiding principle of governance.
Ambassador Onanuga: “He has invited us here to emphasize one clear message: the singular purpose of keeping Liberia united—a purpose that will carry us forward year after year.”
Envoy Onanuga urged media stakeholders to embrace Liberia’s diversity—political, ethnic, and ideological—not as a liability but as a testament to the resilience of its democratic processes.
“Tonight, we can see clearly in this hall a rich diversity—a reflection of unity, not division. We may have our differences in tone and ideology, but the purpose that binds us is singular and unwavering, mirrored in our collective commitment to Liberia,” he intoned.
According to the Media Executive, the Presidential Media Dinner is to be institutionalized as an annual forum for genuine engagement between the executive and the media sector, a space where perspectives are exchanged and national interest remains central.
“You are all here under the honorary invitation of the President, who seeks to show us the beauty of gathering as one people, united in patriotism, with a shared purpose—to build Liberia into the nation it is destined to become,” he asserted.
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