Introduction
The intent of this initiative is to prove that we Liberians can rise above petty differences and institute a level of togetherness that will forever transform our country! This challenge is bold; it is Liberia focused; it seeks to establish a degree of national unity unlike none our country has ever experienced – it will recalibrate our national compass in a new and prosperous direction! Furthermore, this vision will positively touch every succeeding generation far beyond our own. It however, requires the input of every single one of us.
#$1BillionChallenge
This initiative seeks to raise One Billion United States Dollars from every Liberian who is alive! Your money will NOT be a handout to some charity, but rather an investment (with interest) that’ll be used to elevate Liberia. We will set up an organization that functions like a venture capital firm which invests only in profit-making ventures in Liberia. To ensure you trust this venture, all your monies, registration, organizational structure, management, insurance, etc., will be right here in the United States – a local office will be maintained in Liberia. However, Liberia will be the ultimate and only investment location.
How will It work (Goal)?
There are approximately 1.2 million Liberians (man, woman and child) scattered all over the diaspora – this is a very conservative figure;
Our angel investors, or as I like to call them – citizen investors – will privately own all equities in this venture! Every project funded by us will be self-sustaining; it will generate its own income to pay for itself many times over. We have recommended the first 4 projects for approval, enticement, and recommendations. This may seem like a lot of money to some but let me put this into perspective: we remit about $600m home every year, this does not include the monies we send by family members or these we carry with us when we travel or bring into the country by other means. My educated guess will put the actual numbers at around $2B annually! Imagine what can be achieved were we to professionally direct this kind of money in a targeted and structured way.
So if each of the 1.2 million Liberians abroad contributed the minimum of $1000, we will be able to raise $1.2 Billion dollars! This is excluding all the Liberians back home – I am sure they too will want to contribute. If others can raise billions to bring war and destroy the country and set us back decades, why can’t we raise equal amount to transform Liberia and usher us into the modern age? Moreover, all monies from bond purchases will immediately go into a trust that you can pull up on our website. Yes, you will be able to boastfully show your friends that you are contributing to the development of Liberia and encourage them to do the same. This is just an overview to get Liberians talking about this initiative, more details are available should people become interested.
Recommended Projects
All of this will be supervised by your board of directors (President of Liberia will serve as an honorary member) and venture capital fund managers who will report to investors on a quarterly basis.
Role of Liberian Government
It takes money to raise money. This is where the Government of Liberia or a wealthy individual comes in. We have estimated that it will take some 6-12 months to raise this money. It requires a full time team of 7 people (3 financial professionals/speakers, an organizer, promoter, cameraman, and a computer technician) who will travel the world conducting town hall meetings in Liberian Communities to woo investors. We project it will cost around 2 (two) million dollars for all expenses during this period. This money will be reimbursed back to the GOL/wealthy individual or It/he could be the first purchaser of the PATRIOT BOND! If this is successful, the first act will be to build a massive city square/park, surrounded by giant granite slabs engraved with the names of all those who contributed to commemorate this momentous moment for all of posterity. Perhaps, this could be the beginning of a new direction for our country; we could develop ourselves out of this wilderness of shame and anguish that we have suffered for some two centuries!
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Mr. Ansu Opa Dualu is a Liberian who strongly believes in the collective power of Liberia. Also, he holds the belief that for Liberia to