MONROVIA – The Publishers Association of Liberia (PAL) has a new president, Mr. Alphonso Toweh, who was formally inducted on Saturday, August 30, 2025, at the Monrovia City Hall. The colorful ceremony brought together Vice President Jeremiah Kpan Koung, members of the Legislature and Judiciary, diplomats, government officials, media executives, civil society representatives, and international partners.
In his inaugural address, Toweh expressed gratitude to God for his guidance and to the outgoing leadership for their service, while acknowledging the enormity of the task ahead for the media industry in Liberia. He pledged to steer PAL toward a path of unity, professionalism, and sustainability.
“The role of the media is cardinal and critical to national development, and we acknowledge the enormity of the task before us,” Toweh said. “We have set an ambitious plan that will be executed over the next three years. We therefore urge all of you to watch us along the way as our collective actions will speak for us.”
Toweh lamented the financial and structural difficulties facing Liberia’s traditional media, particularly newspapers and radio stations, which he said are “teetering” between survival and collapse. He urged media owners to consider collaboration, mergers, and innovative strategies to ensure sustainability.
“The newspaper industry is in a near-plateau state and falling between the clutches of survival and doom,” he warned. “It is about time that we muster the courage and seek other complimentary means or form some sort of collaboration or merger for the common good of the industry. Let us work together to build institutions and sustain it.”
Toweh also raised a strong concern over what he described as the misuse of the Executive Mansion’s official website for private advertising. Calling it “weird and absurd,” he urged Vice President Koung to convey the matter to President Joseph Boakai, stressing that the presidency’s website should not be reduced to a marketplace.
“Someone at the Executive Mansion is doing serious business at the expense of President Joseph Boakai,” Toweh said. “Do not reduce the presidency website to GobaChove market where all sorts of commodities are taken there for sale.”
On the financial relationship between government and the media, Toweh appealed for the settlement of debts owed by state institutions, which he noted continues to cripple the operations of media houses. He also called on Finance Minister Augustine Ngafuan to demonstrate sympathy for the plight of the struggling media sector.
“Paying our debts is a consequential relief for every media entity struggling to meet its commitments to vendors and employees,” he emphasized.
Toweh further extended gratitude to international partners such as USAID and Plan International for their contributions to the media’s survival over the years, while urging for more support in training, empowerment, and sustainability initiatives.
“As a professional journalist and communication expert, I am not blind to the depth of our challenges, not just as PAL, but also as journalists in general,” he said. “The media needs support more than ever before.”
In his closing remarks, Toweh called for reconciliation within the association, appealing to former members who left PAL for various reasons to return in the spirit of unity. He offered a public apology on behalf of the new leadership and pledged to create an atmosphere of inclusiveness and peace.
“An apology is the glue to life; it can repair just anything,” he noted, quoting Canadian cartoonist Lynn Johnston. “Let this time be the time of peace for the PAL, where everyone will reckon the importance of fellowship and commit to it.”
The ceremony ended with applause as Toweh assumed his new role, promising to lead PAL with vision, collaboration, and resilience in the face of Liberia’s evolving media scene.
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