President George Weah says he'll cut his salary by 25% to help confront his country's "broken economy"
In one of his first acts as President of Liberia, George Weah has
announced that he will cut his salary by 25% as part of an effort to
confront his country's "broken economy."
"In view of the very rapidly deteriorating situation of the
economy, I am informing you today, with immediate effect, that I will
reduce my salary and benefits by 25%. I believe that it is appropriate
that we should all make sacrifices in the interest of our country. Our
economy is broken, our government is broke, our currency is in
free-fall, inflation is rising, unemployment is at an unprecedented
high, and our foreign reserves are at an all-time low" Weah said on Monday in his first State of the Republic address.
Weah, a former professional football star in Europe, was sworn in as
President of the West African nation last week. When he took office from
his predecessor, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, it marked the first time in
recent history that power has been transferred from one democratically
elected leader to another in Liberia. Sirleaf took office in 2006 as
Liberia's first elected female president, and was re-elected in 2011.
The nation of 4.6 million people, which was founded by freed slaves
from the United States in the 19th century, has long struggled to
alleviate poverty. It endured a 14-year civil war that ended in 2003 and
in 2014 faced an Ebola epidemic that killed over 4,000 people.
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