Joseph Nyumah Boakai a Liberian

Liberia

Liberia , officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Sierra Leone on the west, Guinea on the north and Côte d'Ivoire on the east. Liberia's coastline is composed of mostly mangrove forests while the more sparsely populated inland consists of forests that open...

 politician and the current Vice President of Liberia, serving under President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf.

Personal

Joseph Boakai was born on 30 November 1944 in Worsonga, Foya District

Foya District

Foya District is one of six districts located in Lofa County, Liberia....

, Lofa County

Lofa County

Lofa is a county in the northernmost portion of the West African nation of Liberia. One of 15 counties that comprise the first-level of administrative division in the nation, it has six districts. Voinjama serves as the capital with the area of the county measuring...

 to illiterate parents, He is married to Kartumu Boakai and they have 4 children. Boakai is a religious Christian

Christian

A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...

, and is a Deacon of the Effort Baptist Church.

Education

Boakai is a graduate of the College of West Africa

College of West Africa

The College of West Africa is a Methodist high school in Monrovia, Liberia. The school was opened in 1839 , making it one of the oldest European-style schools in Africa...

, the University of Liberia

University of Liberia

The University of Liberia is a publicly funded institution of higher learning located in Monrovia, Liberia. Authorized by the national government in 1851, the school opened in 1863 as Liberia College and became a university in 1951. The school is one of the oldest institutions of higher learning...

, and Kansas State University

Kansas State University

Kansas State University, commonly shortened to K-State, is an institution of higher learning located in Manhattan, Kansas, in the United States...

, which he attended on a USAID

United States Agency for International Development

The United States Agency for International Development is the United States federal government agency primarily responsible for administering civilian foreign aid. President John F. Kennedy created USAID in 1961 by executive order to implement development assistance programs in the areas...

 grant.

Political career

From 1983 to 1985, he served as Minister of Agriculture under President Samuel Doe

Samuel Doe

Samuel Kanyon Doe was the 21st President of Liberia, serving from 1986 until his assassination in 1990. He had previously served as Chairman of the People's Redemption Council from 1980 to 1986. He was the first indigenous head of state in Liberian history.Doe was a part of a rural tribe in inland...

. While Minister of Agriculture, Boakai chaired the 15 nation West African Rice Development Association.