No evidence of mental illness

Before his resignation, Minister Kamara met with development partners and diplomatic missions in Monrovia and reaffirmed the government’s commitment to mental health as part of the National Development Agenda.

Monrovia, Liberia, July 15, 2024: Recent media reports claiming that former Finance Minister Boima S. Kamara cited mental illness for his resignation have shown to lack any evidence, as the NewDawn newspaper’s investigation establishes.

This paper has established that only former Minister Kamara and his team from the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning attended the meeting.

The team at the meeting included Deputy Ministers Dehpue Y. Zuo and Bill McGill Jones, Assistant Minister for Development Planning J. Wellington Barchue, and the Ministry’s Communications team.

The source regretted that off-the-record comments from a high-level meeting were leaked, seemingly to damage the reputation of a committed public servant.

This paper has received firsthand information refuting earlier media reports from Wednesday, July 10, 2024, which alleged that former Minister Kamara admitted to having mental health issues.

Before his resignation, Mr. Kamara met with development partners and diplomatic missions in Monrovia to discuss Liberia’s upcoming development plans.

The discussion covered the Agriculture, Rule of Law, Education, Sanitation, and Tourism (ARREST) Agenda for Inclusive Development (AAID), the Public Sector Investment Plan (PSIP), and the 15-County Development Agendas (CDAs).

These initiatives aim to support local development by the Decentralization Act. During the meeting, Minister Kamara reaffirmed the government’s commitment to mental health as part of the National Development Agenda.

An attendee of the July 3, 2024, meeting informed The New Dawn that at no time did former Minister Kamara claim to suffer from “mental illness” that impaired his job performance.

Instead, Kamara emphasized his advocacy for increased mental health funding across the continent.

Kamara had earlier served as a Health Financing Advisor for Africa’s Center for Disease Control (Africa-CDC) in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, before President Joseph Nyuma Boakai appointed him as Finance Minister.  Mr. Kamara vowed to promote better mental health programs in Liberia and ensure mental health is included in the AAID.

Our source noted that Kamara stressed the critical need for mental health programs in Africa, particularly in Liberia, and called for immediate attention and investment in mental health care.

Remarks by Mr. Eric T. Weah, Coordinator of Research Monitoring and Evaluation in the Mental Health Unit at the Ministry of Health, were described as unfortunate and baseless.

The source stated that it was misleading to suggest that a senior minister had publicly declared a mental health disorder.

Due to the high stress levels people face, which can lead to serious consequences, our source added that Mr. Kamara highlighted the importance of prioritizing mental health.

Additionally, he emphasized the need to make mental health services accessible, comprehensive, and integrated into broader health and social care systems.

The source stressed that former Minister Kamara is dedicated to fighting the stigma associated with mental health issues and ensuring that those in need receive appropriate support and care.