Liberia: Rep. Fonati Koffa of the Ruling CDC Elected As Deputy Speaker

MONROVIA – The House of Representatives has overwhelmingly elected Rep. J. Fonati Koffa as the next Deputy Speaker.

Rep. Koffa was elected to the position on Tuesday with 45 votes. Rep. Clarence Massaquoi who was nominated by the Collaborating Parties Legislative Caucus (CPP) came next with 20 votes.

Rep. Koffa who represents Grand Kru County, District 2, says he strongly believes that his unique skill set of experience and competence would greatly help in accelerating the legislative rebranding which was promised at the beginning of the 54^th Legislature in 2018.

Hon. Cllr. Koffa chaired the House Judiciary Committee and by ranking, he was considered as the fifth in command at the Legislature, now he is the second in command.

His victory came ahead of several endorsements from his colleagues who deemed him the most suited to compliment the leadership of the Legislature.

Who Is Rep. Koffa?

Cllr. Koffa is a graduate of the University of North Carolina School of Law at Chapel Hill, where he obtained a Juris Doctorate (JD) degree in Law. His educational pursuit took him to Raleigh, North Carolina State University, where he obtained a Master of Public Administration (MPA) and a Bachelor of Public Administration (Cum Laude) with concentration in Urban Planning, from Shaw University, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA. 

Hon. Koffa began his legal career in the United States in 1998 in private practice and then moved to Liberia in 2009 and became a founder and Managing Partner of the International Law Group (ILG), now one of the emerging corporate and government firms in Liberia. He was admitted to the Supreme Court Bar of Liberia as valedictorian of its Class of 2014.

Prior to his election as Representative he served as Minister of State without Portfolio and Legal Advisor to former President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf from 2014 to 2016.

He began his entry into politics as a founding member of the Liberty Party, the third leading opposition party in Liberia where he was eventually elected as Chairman from 2011 to 2014. During his time as Chairman, he oversaw the growth and expansion of the party including the increase of seats the party held in the National Legislature. He resigned from the Liberty Party in 2018 and joined the Coalition for Democratic Change where he serves as a member of the Executive Council.