HonCllr. Jonathan Fonati Koffa, popularly called JFK, was born in 1963 in Sasstown Territory, GrandKru County, to Major Stephen Jaitoh and Madam Margaret Mona Koffa, the son of a teacher and a soldier who raised him on modest civil servants’ salaries while instilling a passion for service, hard work, and deep moral values. His family relocated to Monrovia in 1966, where he began his educational journey, graduating from Cathedral Catholic High School in 1982. After basic education in Liberia he traveled to the United States and enrolled at Shaw University, Raleigh, North Carolina, where he earned a Bachelor of Public Administration, Cum Laude, with emphasis in Urban Planning, then proceeded to North Carolina State University for a Master of Public Administration, and later obtained a Juris Doctor from the University of North Carolina School of Law at Chapel Hill. He began his legal career in private practice in the U.S. in 1998, returned to Liberia in 2009, and became founder and Managing Partner of the International Law Group, ILG, now one of Liberia emerging corporate and government law firms. He was admitted to the Supreme Court Bar of Liberia as Valedictorian of the Class of 2014.
His entry into politics came as a founding member of the Liberty Party, where he served as National Chairman from 2011 to 2014, overseeing the party growth and expansion in the National Legislature. In 2016, President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf appointed him Minister of State without Portfolio and Special Prosecutor, chairing a Special Presidential Task Force that investigated and prosecuted the Sable Mining Bribery scandal. He resigned in July 2017 to contest the Representative seat in GrandKru County District 2, won on October 19, 2017, and entered the 54th Legislature. In 2018, he resigned from the Liberty Party and joined the Congress for Democratic Change, CDC, serving on its Executive Council. At the 54th Legislature, he was first appointed Chairman of the Judiciary Committee and later, in January 2021, was elected Deputy Speaker, serving on the Committees on Elections, Inauguration, Human and Civil Rights.
As a lawmaker, he championed the Domestic Violence Bill, the Female Genital Mutilation Bill, and legislation promoting Liberian businesses. In the 2023 elections he ran on the CDC ticket and in January 2024 he was elected Speaker of the 55th National Legislature, serving at an important period in Liberia history and inspiring a new culture of openness at the Legislature. HonCllr J Fonati Koffa is described as a Kru by tribe, a son of the soil from GrandKru, a tolerant politician without borders who mends fences across the political spectrum. He is a family man, married for more than 20 years to Mrs. Dama Yekeson Koffa with three children. He is also an author, having published _Land of My Father: A Pictorial Anthology of Grand Kru County, Liberia_ in 2010.
His awards include Best Oralist Moot Court at UNC Chapel Hill, the United Negro College Fund Meritorious Leadership Award, Shaw University Distinguished Leadership Award, the Grand Order of African Redemption bestowed by President George M. Weah in 2023, the Golden Image Outstanding Award for National Empowerment, and the African Leadership Magazine Award as Lawmaker of the Year. He is known for paying his staff well above government provisions because he believes in dignity for workers, and many describe him as a humanitarian by birth whose story reflects the Liberian story of humble beginnings, moral values, hard work, and undying optimism.
Projects built across Grand Kru County
In May 2018, he released a proposed list of 41 diverse projects at US$784,500 for 18 communities, executed through the Legislative Special Project and his Anteenah organizations. Under education he has constructed and furnished six schools: the John Fannoh Karpeh Elementary School in Chemgbetee, Dorboh Statutory District for over 300 children, the George Tugbeh Worjloh Elementary School in Sasstown, the Taybue Elementary School in Buah Statutory District, the Sally A. Toogbabou School in Wropluken, the Thomas K.S. Seedee Elementary School in Kayken with main building and nursery annex, plus the first high school in Sarkonedu, Quardu-Gboni District, Lofa County. He contributed to dozens of others including Barclayville Central High, George Washington School, and schools in Big and Small Suehn, Bolloh, Buah, Jloh, and advocated for US$100,000 from Central Government to renovate Barclayville and Sasstown High Schools.
*Other infrastructure*: He proposed and built a Youth Center in Nyankukpoe Town US$100,000 and another in Wlapuken Town US$10,000, constructed the Tarken Community Town Hall, Ahteenah Radio/TV in Barclayville and Voice of Sasstown in Felorkrie, renovated and funds operations of the Buah Jlateken Clinic, installed 17 hand pumps with 10 additional under construction, built over 5 miles of roads and rehabilitated the road from Changbeboe to Doleken, installed 100 solar street lights in Bolloh Community, constructed guest houses in Down Beach and Gee City US$25,000 each, day-care center in Kayken US$15,000, market buildings in Bolloh Weayan, Plurluken City, and Wlapuken, housing projects for 60 elderly families separate from the 41 projects.
*Scholarships and human resources*: He established “one of the most active scholarships in his county and Liberia”, providing financial aid or full scholarships to over 1,734 students, including paying US$5,411 to cover full tuition for 63 GrandKru students at Tubman University in 2021, disbursing L$484,000 for over 500 students’ school fees, and a US$25,000 scholarship package for Kayken Town. He resolved the internal crisis in the GrandKru University Students Union and donated to their inauguration.
*Jobs and human resources*: He began paying stipends to 20 volunteer teachers from 10 schools in District 2 to stop teachers walking out, funds operations and pays all staffers at Buah Jlateken Clinic, provided macroloans to women, tools to farmers, and created jobs through clinic operations, radio stations, and construction. His office reported 4,000 students from primary to higher education received aid in six years, and his staff are noted as “one of the best paid” at the Legislature because he pays above government provisions.
Beyond GrandKru, he donated a 2.74 lot of land to Harvest Wonderland Church in Margibi County and pledged L$1,000,000 to a Montserrado District 14 scholarship fund drive. For these works he received the Grand Order of African Redemption from President Weah, Golden Image Outstanding Award for National Empowerment, and African Leadership Magazine Lawmaker of the Year, while citizens describe him as a humanitarian whose generosity to education, medical needs, and youth empowerment.
