New Year Message to the People of Liberia from the Acting Director General, National Fisheries and Aquaculture Authority (NaFAA)
Fellow Liberians,
Distinguished Fisherfolk, Fish Farmers, Development Partners, and Stakeholders, As we usher in the New Year, I extend warm greetings and best wishes to you on behalf of the National Fisheries and Aquaculture Authority (NaFAA).
The year gone by has been one of reflection, reform, and renewed resolve as we worked collectively to reposition fisheries and aquaculture as a key driver of food security, employment, and inclusive economic growth for our nation.
At the outset, I wish to express my profound gratitude to His Excellency Joseph Nyuma Boakai, Sr., President of the Republic of Liberia, for the confidence reposed in me to serve as Acting Director General of NaFAA.
This trust is both an honor and a responsibility, which I carry with humility, patriotism, and an unwavering commitment to the Liberian people.
The year 2025 marked a critical turning point for NaFAA. Together with our dedicated workforce and partners, we restored institutional calm, discipline, and professionalism, while strengthening governance systems, financial controls, and service delivery.
These reforms laid a solid foundation for sustainable growth and renewed public confidence in the Authority.Central to this transformation was our commitment to staff welfare.
For the first time in NaFAA’s history, our workforce and their immediate family members now enjoy comprehensive health insurance coverage, while all sea-going fisheries observers are fully covered by life insurance, recognizing the risks they undertake in service to the nation.
To further ease the daily burden on our employees, management now provides organized transportation for staff, significantly improving punctuality, morale, and productivity.
These achievements underscore our belief that institutional performance begins with caring for the people who carry the mandate.
We also made decisive progress in restoring financial and statutory compliance, improving transparency, embracing digital systems to enhance efficiency, and advancing fisheries governance reforms. Investments in infrastructure, aquaculture development, value addition, and market access have begun to reposition the sector from subsistence toward industrialization and competitiveness.
Equally important, we strengthened fisheries transparency and monitoring, expanded support to artisanal fishers and women in fisheries-related livelihoods, and introduced climate-smart technologies to improve safety, resilience, and sustainability across coastal and inland communities.
None of these accomplishments would have been possible without the strong, consistent, and strategic support of our Board of Directors. Their guidance, oversight, and commitment to reform have been instrumental in steering NaFAA onto a path of stability and progress.
As we look ahead, I wish to emphasize that this work has only just begun. We see 2026 as a year of acceleration—a year in which we will increase the speed, scale, and impact of our interventions.
With planned investments, strategic partnerships, and a clear long-term vision, fisheries and aquaculture will play an even greater role in Liberia’s national development agenda.
To the fisherfolk and fish farmers of Liberia: your work feeds the nation. To our staff: your dedication is the backbone of this institution. To our partners: your renewed confidence inspires us to do more. And to the Liberian people: NaFAA remains committed to serving you with integrity, professionalism, and results.
As we step into this New Year together, let us continue building a fisheries and aquaculture sector that creates jobs, strengthens food security, protects our marine resources, and delivers shared prosperity.
Happy New Year, and may God bless the Republic of Liberia.
J. Cyrus Saygbe Sr.
Acting Director General
National Fisheries and Aquaculture Authority (NaFAA)
