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We are an advocacy group, a movement dedicated to transforming Liberia from a County Administrative system into a District City-State through debates, petitions, referendums, and grassroots organizing.
The District City State System is established for residents, not their representatives or the president, to make local decisions about their affairs and to exercise autonomy over their development, budgets, and elections.
We are led by young people and guided by the ideological and practical approach articulated in Reform: A Liberian Development Manifesto (Gbonoi, Norotoi).
Our Movement is forged in the conviction that Liberia’s 177-year struggle is not rooted in a lack of potential, but in an all-powerful monarchical presidency, the office of a single individual who must decide the fate and well-being of more than 5 million people, whether right or wrong. They are aided by vacuous party loyalists and syconphants in a nation without purpose, without robust structures and systems to carry out proper enforcement mechanisms – the space where national progress is swallowed by patronage, lawlessness, inefficiency, and personality-driven governance. We exist to close that gap.
The Movement welcomes Liberians of all ages, statuses, creeds, and persuasions, both here at home and in the Diaspora.
We envisioned a nation where every Liberian is informed and educated about the District-City-State Structure and System, and advocates for its use to improve their lives.
We are spreading the message to establish a large, strong military capable of protecting and defending the State and its people. That ensures residents and districts fight for local control and autonomy over resources and development in their respective districts. holds the National Government accountable for per-person education and healthcare, for raising living standards, and for creating wealth for every citizen, all guaranteed by the State.
The Reform and Restructure campaign seeks to abolish the “Old State” models characterized by strong political patronage and reliance on foreign aid. To reduce the size of the Executive Branch, limit presidential power and authority over appointments, and eliminate the President’s management of the economy. Reorganize the Executive to focus on regulation and law enforcement. Consolidate, merge, and transfer non-regulatory and law enforcement agencies, ministries, and institutions to counties, district governments, and the private sector. To drive improvement and efficiency. To leverage the private sector to solve societal problems, provide goods and services, create jobs, and generate wealth.
We see Liberians advocating for change toward a new Liberia in private conversations and public gatherings, drawing on topics from the book to discuss the changes they envision. These will be a new kind of Liberians who know the country’s plans and where it is heading, based on their decisions.
1. We believe that Liberia should be a District City State.
We imagine Liberians being informed, educated, and championing the Reform message that moves Liberia forward and upward, leaving behind the “Old State” models of aid dependence. Reduce political patronage and the unchecked presidential power and authority over the country and its resources. Advocate for a large and robust protection and defense of the State, proper self-governance, and management of our resources, raise our national standards to improve living standards, create wealth, and serve Liberians.
2. We believe Systems Over a Leader
For generations, Liberians have long believed in waiting for a “Great Leader” or “Someone Who Loves the Country” to save the nation. We reject this myth. We believe that stability comes from Systemic Institutionalism—building government structures so robust that they function effectively regardless of who holds office. We believe that if you fix the System, the right leadership becomes a natural byproduct. It means treating government and public officials as temporary managers of State assets and the people’s business. It also means reducing the executive branch’s authority and transferring some of its powers to the counties, districts, and other branches of government. This drastically reduces presidential appointments, increases merit-based hiring, reconfigures oversight and accountability, and employs innovative, measurable Key Performance Indicators to get results.
3. We believe that Liberia should exist to economically benefit the citizens directly.
We reject the flawed notion that public services, road construction, and infrastructure development are the only indirect benefits people should receive from the State. Our view is that every Liberian should be a beneficiary of these four key things in the country provided by the Central Bank Branch of Government, not at the behest of a president or legislature:
In September 2025, Reform Liberia was founded by Norotoi Gbonoi to disseminate the ideas in the book Reform: A Liberian Development Manifesto. the original five members of RL are: Roland Kuyon, Oliver Fargan, Daniel Richard, Yufu Kamara, and Morris Flaka.
Joseph N. Gbonoi
Founder
Joseph is a writer, strategist, and reform advocate committed to shaping Liberia’s future. He is an avid reader who has devoted time to solving problems with respect to Liberia and writes about them. He hopes to inspire his fellow Liberians and Africans to rethink their security, defense, political, economic, and social futures by beginning with government reforms.
He manages a surgical instrument education and supply startup in Liberia. He has worked as an educator, supervisor, and manager in Surgical Instrument Reprocessing.
Roland Kuyon
Acting Executive Director
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Daniel Richard
Acting Deputy Executive Director
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Yufu Kamara
Chief Financial Officer (CFO)
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Oliver Fagans
Chief Technology Officer (CTO)
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Morris Flaka
Chief Outreach & Recruitment
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Managing Editor
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Donation
Reform Liberia is powered by citizens who believe Liberia can work better for its people. Your donation helps us educate, organize, and advocate for a stronger system of governance that delivers real results for Liberians.
