In Summary:
After Liberia participated in this year’s World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland, some news outlets and bloggers claimed it was the country’s first time attending the globally recognized event.
WEF is a global platform that convenes leaders of developed nations and businesses annually in Switzerland to discuss major economic
Liberia’s delegation, led by Foreign Minister Sara Beysolow Nyanti, attended the January 19–23 meeting, but online records show former President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf participated in Davos in 2007 and 2014.
While 2026 marked Liberia’s first time hosting its own official event at Davos, the claim that it was Liberia’s first participation is misleading.
Following Liberia’s participation in this year’s World Economic Forum in Davos, several news outlets and social media bloggers described it as the first time the country had participated in the forum (as can be read here, here, and here).
Liberia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sara Beysolow Nyanti, led the nation’s official delegation to the event, which ran from January 19–23.
The World Economic Forum (WEF) is an international organization best known for organizing the annual Davos meeting in Switzerland, where political leaders, business executives, civil society groups, academics, and media meet to discuss major global issues.
The Claim
One of the captions read: “Liberia debuts at WEF Davos, signaling economic shift from aid to investment-led growth.”
Rating Justification
To verify whether the Liberian delegation’s participation was the country’s first appearance, we searched the internet and found several local and international news reports about the country’s participation at the forum.
A 2007 BBC report revealed that former President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf attended the forum and served as one of the panelists, sharing the platform with Tony Blair, former UK prime minister, Bill Gates, Microsoft boss, and chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and Thabo Mbeki, president of South Africa, among others.
Additionally, the Liberian government announced in January 2014 that President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf had departed the country for Davos-Klosters, Switzerland, to participate in events of the World Economic Forum.
During these years, the former president participated as a special guest and/or panelist in various sessions of the Forums.
It is important to clarify that while Liberia has previously been represented at Davos by former President Sirleaf, this year’s gathering marked the first time Liberia hosted its own event under the team: “The Future of Liberia: Global Partnerships and Economic Diplomacy,” featuring companies and institutions, including Elon Musk’s space company SpaceX and African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank).
The Liberian delegation, according to a Forbes article, used this roundtable to reposition the country as an emerging investment and diplomatic destination.
Also, in a Facebook post, the head of the Liberian delegation, Minister Sara Beysolow Nyanti, explained that the Liberian event was the first national event at the World Economic Forum in Davos, which was hosted by the Financial Times, convened by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Liberia, and supported by Foreign Policy Magazine and their partners.
Conclusion
Based on our research, we conclude that the claim that Liberia’s participation in this year’s World Economic Forum is the first time the country is attending the event is misleading.
Davos 2026 is not the first time Liberia has participated in the World Economic Forum in Davos. Former President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf attended in the past years, 2007 and 2014.
