Published: August 27, 2026
MONROVIA — Deputy Finance Minister for Economic Management Dehpue Y. Zuo is leaving the Liberian government to become ECOWAS commissioner for economic affairs and agriculture, placing one of the country’s senior economic officials in charge of a regional portfolio covering trade, food security, employment and economic integration.
Zuo will take up the position at the ECOWAS Commission in Abuja, Nigeria. No successor was announced during the farewell ceremony.
Finance and Development Planning Minister Augustine Kpehe Ngafuan described Zuo’s departure as a significant professional achievement for Liberia and an emotional moment for colleagues who have worked with him for decades.
“Today is not an ordinary farewell,” Ngafuan said. “It is a moment of gratitude, pride, celebration and, if I may be honest, a little sadness.”
Ngafuan said Zuo’s appointment should not be viewed simply as Liberia losing an experienced official but as the country contributing its expertise to the wider West African region.
“Liberia’s gain at ECOWAS is not our loss,” he said. “It is a recognition of the quality of Liberian leadership and the value that our people can bring to West Africa and the world.”
From Student Leadership to Government
Ngafuan traced his relationship with Zuo to the late 1990s, when both were involved in student leadership at the University of Liberia.
As president of the University of Liberia Student Union, Ngafuan appointed Zuo to lead its scholarship committee. He said the number of scholarship beneficiaries grew from about 475 to nearly 1,500 during Zuo’s tenure.
Their professional paths crossed again in 2013 when Ngafuan, then foreign minister under President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, brought Zuo into the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as assistant minister responsible for international and economic cooperation.
Zuo subsequently represented Liberia at engagements involving ECOWAS, the African Union, the United Nations and other international institutions. He also worked with Ngafuan during Liberia’s response to the Ebola epidemic.
“That video reminds me not only of the Ebola fight,” Ngafuan said, referring to footage of an event involving Chinese military medical personnel at the Samuel Kanyon Doe Sports Complex. “It reminds me of the deep professional bond and friendship that has developed between us through years of service to Liberia.”
Role in Economic Reform
The two officials worked together again after Ngafuan returned to the Finance Ministry in September 2024.
As deputy minister for economic management, Zuo’s responsibilities included debt management, development financing, international assistance, economic reforms and engagement with the Central Bank of Liberia and commercial banks.
Ngafuan credited him with playing a major role in Liberia’s IMF-supported Extended Credit Facility program and the country’s effort to secure a second compact from the United States Millennium Challenge Corp.
He also cited Zuo’s work coordinating budget support from the World Bank, African Development Bank and European Union and helping mobilize US$266 million through the IMF’s Resilience and Sustainability Facility.
Ngafuan said those assignments prepared Zuo for the broader regional responsibilities he will assume at ECOWAS.
His new portfolio will cover some of West Africa’s most pressing economic challenges, including regional integration, agriculture, trade, food security, employment and development.
‘DZ,’ ‘Deep Dive’ and ‘Gentle Giant’
Ngafuan said three names have followed Zuo throughout his career: “DZ,” “Deep Dive” and “Gentle Giant.”
He said “Deep Dive” reflects Zuo’s habit of closely examining difficult issues before reaching conclusions.
“He does not merely read a brief; he interrogates it,” Ngafuan said. “He does not merely attend a meeting; he comes prepared.”
The “Gentle Giant” nickname, he said, reflects Zuo’s combination of professional competence, humility and faith.
“He prays, he works and he serves,” Ngafuan said.
The minister also thanked Zuo’s wife and children for supporting him through the travel, long working hours and missed family moments associated with public service.
“Thank you for sharing Dehpue with Liberia,” he told them.
Closing the farewell, Ngafuan urged Zuo to carry Liberia’s interests and experience into his new regional assignment.
“Go with our prayers. Go with our confidence. Go with our appreciation,” he said. “Go, DZ. Go, Deep Dive. Go, Gentle Giant. Go and make Liberia proud. Go and raise the Liberian flag high.”
