A Group Of Liberian Traveling To US Will Benefit From Skills Trades Training
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 4, 2025
Contact: Trade and Investment Office of Liberia — Philadelphia
Philadelphia, PA– In a landmark move to strengthen international workforce development, the Government of Liberia and the Laborers’ International Union of North America (LiUNA) Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington Laborerst District Council, officially launched the Samuel Staten Sr. African Training Initiative through a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed on July 9, 2025.
The initiative, named in honor of the late Philadelphia labor leader and lifelong advocate for workers’ rights, will provide skilled trades training to a group of Liberians who will travel from Liberia to Pennsylvania and be trained in the “Training the Trainers” Program, and upon completion, will return to Liberia and provide skill trade training to young Liberian workers thus contributing to national economic growth and workforce development.
The MOU was signed during the recent U.S.—Liberia Business Conference in Philadelphia and marks the beginning of a multi-phase collaboration led by Liberia’s Trade and Investment Office. A strategic design team— comprising international development expert Stanley Straughter, labor training specialist Anthony Lewis, and Liberia’s Trade and Investment Representative Gurly Gibson Schwarz—is finalizing the program’s structure ahead of its March 2026 launch.
The Samuel Staten Sr. African Training Initiative stands as a powerful testament to international solidarity, economic empowerment, and the enduring legacy of a man who dedicated his life to uplifting workers.
“This project fulfils e dream Samuel Staten Sr. held dear—empowering Africans through skills and opportunity,” said Stanley Straughter.
“Liberians need to be involved in the rebuilding of Liberia’s infrastructure, and we hope that this Samuel Staten Sr. African Training Initiative will contribute to that,” said Ambassador Gurty Gibson Schwarz.