Biography of the Vice President
Vice President Koung was Nimba County District 1 Representative for 9 years before becoming Senator of the County for 3 years. He sees his new role in government as an “…act of destiny.” Vice President Koung intends to bring his business and legislative experience to expand the private sector and enhance the “Liberianization” policy aimed at increasing the participation of Liberians in the economy.
H. E. Zegben Jeremiah Kpan Koung
Early Life, Education, and Career
Jeremiah (Jerry) Kpang Koung was Born on March 17, 1978, in Yekepa, Nimba County, to Mr. Adam Sunday Koung and Mrs. Esther Markar Koung. His father, Adam migrated to Nimba from Sinoe County in the early 1960s in search of a job with the Liberian American–Swedish Minerals Company (LAMCO), where he met his mother, Ma. Esther, a native of Nimba County. His family lineage stretches from Nimba to the Southeastern region of Liberia, with many of his childhood years spent in Grand Bassa County. Vice President Koung’s humble beginnings should be familiar to every child who struggled to escape stagnation and poverty during the Liberian civil conflict.
At age 12, and the height of the civil disruptions, young Koung started living on his own, and many times slept under a canoe along the beaches of the sea coast seeking refuge from terror at night. Those beaches that provided shelter would later spur his passion for business, which is arguably his most enduring legacy in society.
Young Koung’s first foray into business began by providence where he was introduced to fishmongering by a kind fisherman. He spent over three years selling fish and saving up money for himself. Later, he expanded his startup to include retailing distilled products made from sugarcane juice in Guinea markets. His involvement in cross-border trade as a young man exposed him to life-threatening risks during the Liberian civil war. Despite this, he never took up arms or participated in the fighting. When the war ended and peace was restored, Koung saw an opportunity to broaden his business by introducing petroleum products, importing used cars from the United States and Europe, selling general merchandise, building materials, and frozen food, and setting up a microloans scheme, real estate ventures, and many more.
He was the owner of a string of businesses that helped shape the rapidly evolving commercial metropole of Gompa City in Nimba County – all this done through the sweat of his brow. Koung also served as Credit Manager for the Ganta United Brother’s Credit Union (GUBC), then one of the largest loan institutions in the country.
Despite the difficult circumstances, young Koung persevered and remained resilient in his pursuit of becoming a successful businessman. His unwavering determination has paid off, as he is now considered one of the most accomplished and successful Liberian businessmen from Nimba County.
He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration from Cuttington University in Suacoco, Bong County, Liberia, and is currently a candidate for a master’s degree in Finance, at the University of Ghana School of Business in Accra, Ghana.
Koung recognized that holding an elected office would give him more opportunities to serve his community and country. He therefore ran for a legislative seat in the House of Representatives during the 2011 Legislative and Presidential Elections for the Gompa municipality of Electoral District One, and he won. He served for one and a half terms, which was a total of nine years. In 2020, Koung participated in the 2020 Special Senatorial Election and won, securing another nine-year term in the Liberian Senate.
Adding a feather to his political hat, then Senator Koung got elected as Political Leader of the Movement for Democracy and Reconstruction (MDR), during a special convention in 2023.
With experience in legislation and the private sector, Vice President Koung has been a champion for the Liberianization Policy. Vice President Koung strongly believes in leveraging his business and legislative experiences to improve the lives of his constituencies and the wider Liberian society.
In the 53rd and 54th Legislatures, Koung developed and championed the enactment of a Technical and Vocational Education Training Bill (TVET) in the House of Representatives for the establishment of “The Gompa Technical and Vocational School”. The Act, which was subsequently passed into Law, promotes, among others, programs to build capacity for industrial and other technical jobs aimed at increasing employment opportunities for young people in Liberia. Honorable Koung also sponsored a Bill proposing the de-dollarization of the Liberian currency to curtail inflation and boost economic growth. The bill was passed by the House of Representatives and sent to the Senate for concurrence.
Koung held leadership roles in the Liberian Senate including Chairman of the Committee on Post and Telecommunications; Co-Chair of the Defense, Intelligence, Security and Veteran Affairs committees; Member of the Committee on Health; Co-Chair of the Committee on Public Works, and Co-Chair of the Committee on Public Accounts and Audit.
Vice President Koung is a humanitarian who sees education as a necessary tool for developing the talents of young people for personal growth and national development. He has offered international scholarships to Liberian students for master’s and bachelor’s degrees to study in Europe. He also funds a domestic scholarship program for 200 students within the various universities in Liberia and periodically provides financial aid to needy students who are not in the scholarship scheme.
Vice President Koung’s humanitarian hand extends beyond education to the improvement of health and other areas of community development. In 2022, Vice President Koung built and furnished a surgical theater at Karnplay Comprehensive Medical Center which he later turned over to the government of Liberia; constructed the Glenyiluu Market Hall and Small Ganta Market in 2020; constructed the Wuo Town Hall and installed 136 hand pumps from 2012 to 2022; constructed the Gbloyee Market in 2019; donated Medical equipment (Anesthesia machine), to Saclepea Medical Center in 2013; from 2012 to 2016, he built 10 classrooms to annex J.W. Pearson Public High School in Ganta; upgraded J.W. Pearson from Junior High to Senior High School through the construction of additional 6 classrooms and turned it over to the Government of Liberia; he also built Gowee and Wlenlah Elementary Public Schools from 2012 to 2014; and constructed maternal waiting homes across Nimba county from 2011 to 2023.
Vice President Koung is providing support for the construction of a doctor’s residence in Saclepea. Furthermore, he is assisting in building a surgical theater, as well as labor, delivery and maternity wards to upgrade Bahn Health Center to a more inclusive health center. Additionally, he is providing assistance in building the Buutuo and Gbloulay health facilities, and has recently commissioned feasibility studies for the Zekepa health center.
His flagship intervention in health, however, would come in 2016, when after 5 years of work, he would present to the people in Nimba a 116-bed hospital (E&J Medical Center) named after his mother and daughter. The hospital was later turned over to the government.
Then Senator Koung saw his preferment as running mate to then standard bearer Joseph Boakai purely as “an act of destiny.”
Senator Koung is a unifying figure who bridges the gap between the young and old generations. Both groups consider him to be an embodiment of hope, both symbolically and in reality. This is especially true for the mainly destitute young people of Liberia who have little or no opportunities and are now heavily entrenched in the informal sector of the economy. Senator Koung can relate to this sector of the economy because of his background, which has shaped much of his success story.
Vice President Koung is a Christian and a member of the Methodist Church. He is married to Synleseh Stephanie Dahn -Koung. They are blessed with children.
He is fluent in local languages such as Dan, Mann, Grebo (Tato), and Bassa.
