LOIC, A National Pillar for Practical Skills Training and Workforce Development in Liberia

“The LOIC has been instrumental in shaping Liberia Manpower development,” according to Josiah Joekai, Director General of the Civil Service Agency. Mr. Joekai was delivering the graduation address on Friday, May 9, 2025, when 168 young men and women (Male 52, Female 116) received certificates following several months of training. Many of them are expected to join the workforce in Liberia.

Since its establishment in 1977, the Liberia Opportunities Industrialization Center (LOIC) has trained over 70,000 young men and women, thereby shaping Liberia’s manpower foundation. Guests included government officials, parents, civil society representatives, and well-wishers. One hundred sixty-eight young men and women received Auto Mechanics, Catering, Cosmetology, Electricity, and Plumbing, Refrigeration, and Air Conditioning repair certificates. 

Mr. Joekai, who graduated from the Opportunities Industrialization Center in Guinea, told the graduates, “The skills you possess are not just tools for employment; they are weapons against poverty, underdevelopment, and dependency.”

“You are the solution to Liberia’s chronic skills gap, and you are the blessing to your families, communities, and dear country Liberia.” 

Joseph Duwor, Board Chairman of LOIC, expressed a new dynamism, citing new changes at the center. The changes, according to him, are credited to the current National Executive Director, Rufus Monroe, who was appointed in late 2024. He commended the Teachers and Instructors of the institution for their work in helping to train young people in Technical and Vocational Education. “You have given your humble best to this institution,” He said. He also noted the contribution of Bread for the World and other partners for their support to the center.

National Executive Director, Rufus Monroe, expressed appreciation to Bread for the World for its support of the program, which includes staff and teachers’ salaries. Mr. Monroe also called on the government and the private sector to create more space to absorb graduates of the LOIC into workplaces.

With the number of trainees graduating under Cycle 29 of LOIC training, the LOIC is ensuring that young people are not left behind in the area of Technical and Vocational Education, something a member of the graduating class, Catherine Dolo in her farewell address acknowledge, and wants more support to the institution, this she says will enable the institution train more young people.

The graduation in Monrovia is one of many graduations being held by the Liberia Opportunities Industrialization Center, with graduations in Buchanan, Grand Bassa County, and Gbarnga, Bong County. With huge number of trainees graduating every year from the Liberia Opportunities Center, the LOIC is a National Pillar for Practical Skills Training and Workforce Development in Liberia.