President Joseph Nyuma Boakai has announced a new push to increase the number of women serving in Liberia’s Armed Forces, with government targeting 15 percent female representation by 2028.

Speaking in New York, President Boakai said Liberia cannot advocate internationally for women’s participation in peacebuilding while failing to create space for women within its own security institutions.

The President said his administration is using affirmative measures to remove barriers that have historically limited women’s participation in the military.

In February, the Armed Forces of Liberia and UN Women launched a two-year Elsie Initiative Fund project aimed at addressing barriers to women’s recruitment, retention and deployment in UN peacekeeping operations. UN Women said women then represented 7.5 percent of AFL personnel.

President Boakai now says Liberia wants to raise that figure to 15 percent by 2028, while working toward a broader national target of 40 percent female representation by 2030.