Togba-Nah Tipoteh (born 1941 in Monrovia, Liberia) is a politician, economist, and educator, having mostly recently been presidential candidate for Liberia's 2005 elections, running as the candidate for the Alliance for Peace and Democracy. He has worked in international development in the United States, the Netherlands, Mozambique, Ghana, South Africa and other countries, as well as for the United Nations system: Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), International Monetary Fund (IMF), African Economic Community (ECA), and the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD).
For more than three decades, he has been actively involved with democratic activities in promotion of human rights, liberties, constitutional rule, and growth with development in Liberia and throughout Africa. He is President of the Movement for Justice in Africa (MOJA), an organization with a Pan-African strategy for justice and democracy; Presidential Candidate for the Liberian People's Party (LPP); founding Chairman of the Collaborating Political Parties (CPP), an alliance of Liberian political parties; Director-General of SUSUKUU, Liberia's oldest (founded in 1971), a non-governmental development organization credited by the West Africa Peacekeeping Force (ECOMOG) as helping to disarm over 10,000 combatants; and former Chairman of the Interest Groups of Liberia, a consortium of 32 national organizations with a collective membership of well over one million persons.
Tipoteh is also a businessman, serving as Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of Kukatornon Reconstruction Corporation. He was Liberia's national Tennis Champion for 15 unbroken years. He created a scholarship program, where he mentors and sends hundreds of children from all counties of Liberia to schools and colleges in Liberia. To his admirers he is known as "the only man on the ground" -- the only presidential candidate to remain in Liberia after the 1997 election.
Tipoteh wearing an Obama's t-shirt the last weekend of the US Presidential election endorsed Barack Obama of the Democratic Party predicting that Obama will win the election. In a statement endorsing President Sirleaf, Dr. Tipoteh said his party’s decision followed observation and evaluation of the two parties in the run-off, based on the issue of societal transparency.
The FAPL Standard Bearer, and renowned Liberian politician, said their evaluation showed that the ruling Unity Party has a better record for transparency, and noted that the high level of transparency under UP’s leadership provides the opportunity for the FAPL and other parties to freely critique government’s performance.
Dr. Tipoteh stressed that the choice was made freely, as the FAPL places the highest value on freedom in the process of rebuilding Liberia.
In response, the Unity Party Standard Bearer, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, said she was accepting the endorsement with pleasure and pride.
According to an Executive Mansion release, President Johnson said the endorsement was a sign that the Unity Party has reached a place where it can be dedicated to peace, transparency and integrity for the development of Liberia, as it comes from a person who has demonstrated integrity and consistence in principles. “Dr. Tipoteh never wavers in what he believes in. He has spoken out; he has criticized; he has praised; he has taken issues. But in all of those, it was because of the belief that he has. Very few people can show this kind of consistency over the period of forty years,” said the President, in appreciation of the work of the FAPL Standard Bearer.
Madam Johnson Sirleaf said she believes that Dr. Tipoteh and the FAPL would not have endorsed the Unity Party if they did not believe that the party shares the same ideals and can deliver. She described the endorsement as a partnership that will be carried forward with the aim of trying to unite the people, to reconcile the Liberian people in order to keep Liberia on the right course for peace and development.
The Unity Party Standard Bearer urged partisans and supporters of the Freedom Alliance Party of Liberia to reach out to their friends and associates to ensure victory in the second round and for a lasting partnership. “Our first challenge is to win the election, so we will work with you and you will work with us in that regard to bring all under this umbrella toward the achievement of that goal” the President concluded.
The endorsement ceremony took place at the FAPL headquarters in Sinkor. Endorsements of President Sirleaf and her Unity Party have also come from other parties that contested the October 11 Presidential Elections, most prominent among them being the National Union for Democratic Progress (NUDP) party of Senator Prince Y. Johnson.
Following the program in which she received the FAPL endorsement, President Sirleaf resumed campaigning by visiting several communities in Montserrado County, interacting with residents in the run-up to the November 8 run-off election.
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For Courage: by the National Internally Displaced People Association (NIDPA), a Liberian Civil society organization with membership from 9 displaced camps.
Born in Monrovia to Rev. and Mrs. Samuel Togba Roberts of Grand Kru County. Married former Ms. Fatu Kanneh of Lofa County.