By: Chelreo P. Saye-Geh
Monrovia, Liberia, January 3, 2023: The Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Cllr. Jonathan Fonati Koffa has emerged as one of “Most Reputable” African figures on the continent.
The Liberian Statesman was named #36 among a list of 100 Most Influential Africans for 2023. The list includes prominent African statespersons chosen through a rigorous vetting process by Reputation Poll International.
Reputation Poll International (RPI) is a strategic consultancy agency specializing in corporate reputation management. It helps its clients achieve their objectives by communicating more effectively with their customers, investors, employees, policy-makers, regulators, and the wider public.
The list features individuals from diverse sectors including; Governance/Leadership, Entertainment, Human rights/Advocacy, Education, and Business. The selection criteria are based on Integrity, Visibility and Impact.
The group annually publishes an insight report on activities under the year in review with stakeholders who also endorse the public view of leading personalities, organizations, and brands.
In building an authoritative source for brands to rely on for improvements, RPI is assisted by various media organizations across the world to share their research findings with people across the globe.
Other key personalities cited on the RPI 2023 publication of 100 Most Reputable Africans include William K. Ruto- President of Kenya; Chantal Moussokoura Fanny – Senator for Folon District; Winnie Byanyima – Under-Secretary General of the UN and Executive Director of UNAIDS; Victoire Sidémého Dzidudu Dogbé Tomegah – Prime Minister of Togo; Tijjani Muhammad-Bande-The Permanent Representative of Nigeria to the United Nations; and Joaquim Alberto Chissano – Former President of Mozambique.
Also listed are Goodluck Ebele Azikwe Jonathan (H.E GCFR, GCON)- Former President of Nigeria; Fatoumatta Njai – Representative of ECOWAS; among others.
The RPI recognition comes in a wake of several contributions made by the Liberian Parliamentarian to impact the livelihood of the commoners, which sets him apart as a respecter of Good Governance and Policy, Business, Human Rights and Advocacy, Leadership among other criteria.
The honoree is a member of the Liberian legislature who has worked in the legal sector with over 20 years of experience. In 2017, he was elected as District # 2 Representative of Grand Kru County.
Upon the ascendancy of former House Speaker Prince Kermue Moye to the Liberian Senate, Honorable Koffa was overwhelmingly voted by his colleagues in Parliament as Deputy Speaker of the 54th National Legislature.
It can be recalled, the Grand Kru lawmaker and other colleagues of the lower house in 2021 won the “Diaspora Person of the Year award”.
Deputy House Speaker J. Fonati Koffa was joined, in getting this prestigious award, by Representatives Acarous Moses Gray of Montserrado County, District #8, and Cllr. A. Kanie Wesso of Gbarpolu County, District #2.
In separate letters to the three distinguished lawmakers, the All-Liberian Conference on Dual Citizenship (ALCOD) Eminent Chairman Emmanuel S. Wettee said, “Liberians in the Diaspora including Africa, Europe, Australia, and the Americas represented by The All-Liberian Conference on Dual Citizenship (ALCOD) overwhelmingly voted to recognize you three for your extraordinary efforts that culminated into the passage of the Dual Citizen Bill in the House of Representatives on November 11, 2021.”
“The Diaspora Person of the Year Award is the premier award from the Liberian Diaspora that is given to an individual or institution who has advocated for Dual Citizenship for natural born Liberians and those born of Liberian parentage, in the year under review,” Chairman Wettee further stated.
Past recipients of the award have included former President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, former Vice President, Ambassador Joseph Nyumah Boakai, former Liberian Ambassador to the United States and Mexico, Mr. Jeremiah C. Sulunteh, Senator Varney Sherman, Cllr. Archibald F. Bernard, Cllr. Seward Cooper, among others.
