By Lincoln G. Peters
One of Liberia’s Climate and Environmental Change experts, Mr. Isaac Nyaneyon Kannah has accepted a petition to run for Grand Gedeh County Electoral District# 1 Representative seat this October.
During his petitioning ceremony by a group of young people on 28 June 2023, Kanneh vowed that he will deliver a responsible leadership.
The petition ceremony took place in Zwedru, Grand Gedeh County, and brought together over two thousand residents and supporters of the Kannah Developmental movement.
Mr. Kannah seeks to battle against incumbent Representative Erol Madison Gwion and a host of other candidates.
Gwion won the representative seat which Senator Zoe Emmanuel Pennue earlier occupied for over a decade before the latter’s election to the Liberian Senate in the 2020 midterm election.
Receiving the petition, Mr. Kannah told the petitioners that it was time for the district to be represented by an honest and smart person.
“For many years Tchien District number one has been robbed of honest and smart leadership. Today, you’ve shown signs of emancipating the district from dishonesty and underrepresentation,” Mr. Kannah said.
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He assured the petitioners that a smart and sustainable agriculture system, healthy and clean cities, youth and women empowerment, education, job creation, and a responsible governance system are part of his plan.
“Having consulted my family, I have accepted your petition and made these promises to you. Trust me, I will deliver you … honest and responsible leadership at the Legislature,” Mr. Kannah pledged.
Kanneh stated that he has experienced firsthand information how Grand Gedeh District #1 has regressed from a district of attraction to an abandoned district due to poor leadership.
Mr. Kanneh is a product of the Zwedru Multilateral High School. He obtained his tertiary education in Morocco and later attended University Ibn Tofail from 2010 to 2014.
He graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Geology, specializing in Resource Geology, on a government of Liberia-Kingdom of Morocco bilateral scholarship.
From 2014 to 2016, Kannah attended Cadi Ayyah University in Marrakech, Morocco, and graduated with a Master of Science degree in Hydrology.
Based on his impressive track record at the university, he received a grant to do his Ph.D. research in climate and environmental sciences. He is now a Ph.D. research fellow under the West Africa Rising Program.
“When we were growing up in Zwedru, we saw Liberians from across the country coming to Zwedru to attend the Zwedru Multilateral High School and Bishop Juwle High School, for example,” he explained.
“These Liberians left the comfort of their counties of origin to live in Zwedru for education because Zwedru offered befitting life at the time,” he added.
The group of young people calling itself ‘Kannah Movement for Development’ said its petition stems from Kanneh’s commitment to positively contribute to the development of the district.
Reading the petition statement, Mr. Marcus Nile, the head of the Kannah Movement for Development said for the past six years they have been tracking Mr. Kannah’s efforts to ensure a climate-responsive environment across Liberia and his love for the people of Tchien district.
