The CEO of Heritage Liberia, Dr. Weade Kobbah-Boley served as Key Presenter at the Liberian Women Legislative Caucus and Media Roundtable held in the Conference Hall of the Capitol Building on September 17th, 2026. Dr. Kobbah-Boley emphasized democratic representation does not end with the election of a legislator. Elections establish political authority; however, communication, participation, accountability, and responsiveness determine how that authority is understood and experienced by citizens. She said the media occupies a critical position within this democratic process. It informs citizens about public institutions, interprets political events, provides platforms for competing perspectives, and facilitates communication between those who govern and those who are governed. Consequently, the relationship between the media and the Women’s Legislative Caucus should not be understood simply as a relationship between politicians seeking publicity and journalists seeking stories. It should instead be understood as a component of democratic institutional communication.
She stressed the presence of women in political institutions is important, but numerical representation alone does not necessarily produce substantive representation. She told the gathering that the experiences of women constitute legitimate matters of public policy and therefore deserve systematic journalistic attention. She urged the Women's Legislative Caucus develop a deliberate and professional media-engagement strategy.
WLCL Chairperson Hon. Ellen Attoh-Wreh opened the roundtable, thanking journalists and media stakeholders for their participation and calling for a strengthened partnership between women legislators and the media.
Participants included Press Union of Liberia’s President Julius Kanabah, Deputy Information Minister Daniel Sando, WLCL Secretariat Head Marayah Fyneah, UN Women Liberia Country Representative Monjurul Kabir, FeJAL President Lisa Diasay, journalists and women legislators.
Closing the engagement, Hon. Attoh-Wreh said the Caucus would act on the feedback to improve its engagement with the media. The roundtable is part of the Caucus' effort to raise public understanding of its legislative work and constituency outreach. The activity was organized by the WLCL under the project "Women Legislators in Liberia: Promoting Voice, Leadership, and Gender-Responsive Governance for Sustainable Development."
The project is funded by the IBSA Fund, with contributions from the Governments of India, Brazil and South Africa, and administered by the United Nations Office for South-South Cooperation (UNOSSC), with UN Women Liberia as implementing partner.
