By Marie Willie
MONROVIA, Sept, 30 (LINA) – President Joseph Nyuma Boakai, Sr. on Monday, September 28, 2026 paid a visit to the Virginia office of the Liberia International Ship and Corporate Registry (LISCR), where he received a briefing on the performance, growth and operations of Liberia’s maritime registry.
President Boakai was received by senior officials of the Liberia Maritime Authority (LiMA), including the Commissioner and Chief Executive Officer Cllr. Newton Zarzar Lighe, Sr., Deputy Commissioner for Finance Emmanuel Nuku Reeves, Deputy Commissioner for Operations, Margarete Ansumana, Liberia’s Permanent Representative to the International Maritime Organization (IMO), Ambassador Robert Wilmot Kpadeh, and Deputy Commissioner for Vessel Registration Yvonne Clinton.
According to the LiMA statement dated September 28,2026, the Commissioner and Chief Executive Officer of the Liberia Maritime Authority, Cllr. Lighe briefed the President on the registry’s performance and its role in Liberia’s participation in the global maritime industry.
According to the briefing, the Liberian Shipping Registry continues to rank among the world’s largest ship registries, with vessels registered under the Liberian flag operating internationally.
Commissioner Lighe thanked President Boakai for visiting the Virginia office, describing the visit as significant because, according to him, President Boakai is the first sitting Liberian president to visit the facility.
The Commissioner said the visit demonstrates the administration’s interest in Liberia’s maritime sector and its efforts to support the continued development and competitiveness of the industry.
The President also received information on the registry’s operations, global presence and efforts to improve service delivery and expand its international reach.
President Boakai was accompanied by Liberia’s Ambassador to the United States, Dr. Al-Hassan Conteh; National Security Advisor Samuel Kofi Woods; and Minister of State Without Portfolio Mamaka Bility.
The visit forms part of the administration’s broader engagement with Liberia’s maritime sector, which remains an important source of national revenue and a significant component of the country’s international economic engagement.