Between the 15th and 19th of July 1959, Presidents William VS Tubman of Liberia, Sekou Toure of Guinea, and Kwame Nkrumah of Ghana met in Sanniquellie, Nimba County, to discuss the formation of the Organization of African Unity (OAU) which is now AU.
The monument in Sanniquellie is the only memory of that historic meeting. As historic as that meeting was, it is fair to say that this monument is too low class as a memorial to such a historic meeting. If we must value and treasure our history, we could see a better constructed monument to this historic event than what we have there today.
There should be a museum, along with the monument housing some of the historical artifacts from that meeting. Such could include the official communique issued by the three Pan African leaders, replicas of the cars they rode into the event, the table the communique was signed on, or even the chairs they sat on. Not only could it serve as a tourist attraction, it could also serve as a teaching resource for teachers and students to visit on field trips. This place should be developed as one of the major landmarks with historic and cultural significance in Liberia.
Successive governments have talked about developing the tourism industry. As of 2026, there is a Liberia National Tourism Authority which must develop this historical monument as a landmark tourist attraction in Liberia. Liberia's tourism potential is not only limited to our beautiful beaches, Kpatawee waterfall, natural rain forest and wildlife but our rich history as well. We are endowed with great history which is completely lost to succeeding Liberian generations. We have to understand and appreciate where we come from before we can know where we are going. Who knows that Liberia was the main focus point of Marcus Garvey's "Back to Africa Movement" which is celebrated in the literature and music of the Pan African world?
How many of our students today know that one of our Liberian statesmen, Wilmot Blyden, is regarded as the "Father of Pan Africanism," meaning, the foundation of Pan Africanism is Liberia which is symbolized by this AOAU monument in Sanniquellie? Who knows that Paul Cuffee was a black entrepreneur who used his own resources for the repatriation of free blacks from the US to Liberia? Besides the history and other attractions like Kpatawee, other things we can promote in terms of culture and tourism include foods, literature, music, and painting of murals that should be hanging in our museums and other public spaces.
Having the Liberia National Tourism Authority is one of the best decisions of President Boakai administration. With such authority in Liberia, a monument like the OAU memorial should be beautifully constructed as a major landmark tourist attraction.
This monument, along with the eco-tourism should make my county, Nimba, a great tourist destination in Mama Liberia. Another value tourist attraction to consider is the Superintendent office complex in the city of Sanniquellie. What's the history behind that complex? How far does that history go?
There is a story about a professor whose dream was always to visit Sanniquellie, Nimba County, the birthplace of OAU. When he planned his journey, he expected to see and experience history. When he got there, he threw up his hands on top of his head and cried profusely. This man had traveled to Ghana, Ethiopia, and now Liberia.
The picture of a monument in his mind when he came to Liberia was a gigantic monument with deep rooted historical connection between Liberia and other countries in Africa.This man was more disappointed when he talked to several young people who could not explain the historical significance of the monument.
Why should someone travel from other parts of Africa to take a look at this very historic monument? The traveller talked to several people he saw around the monument and asked about it. The responses he got were disappointing to him. Some of them said she has not heard any story of its historical structure. "We have never been told this story before." Well knowledgeable people should be posted around this monument and many others in the country.
