Washington — Mr. Yoram Cohen, Founder and Chairman Emeritus of LISCR, has recently passed away. Mr. Cohen was regarded as business giant and senior statesmen in Liberia, and was instrumental in the national economic reconstruction following the civil conflict. He led the growth of the Liberian Ship Registry and established several successful local ventures, including Cellcom Telecommunications. To many esteemed Liberian’s, Mr. Cohen was fondly admired as a “big brother” who would dispense an abundance of wisdom and guidance.
Mr. Cohen is credited for resurrecting Liberia’s maritime program in the early 2000’s, and led its transformation into becoming the renowned industry leader that it is today. While he retired and transferred all leadership and decision-making responsibilities to his two sons, Adam and Elan Cohen, in 2016, Mr. Cohen continued to be a visionary for the development of Liberia. His sons remarked “while we have ultimately being leading and managing the Company for many years now, we sorely miss our father’s incredible knowledge and ingenuity. We are so proud of what he built as well as his tremendous contributions to Liberia. He was a lion and we are dedicated to continuing and preserving his ferocious zeal, dedication to Liberia, and his legacy.”
Mr. Cohen was a remarkable driver of Liberia’s economic stabilization. His founding of Cellcom helped create a vibrant telecommunications industry that benefits thousands of Liberians to this day.
Mr. Cohen was widely admired for his commitment to Liberia and for the many opportunities that he created for local Liberians. He was regularly sought after by Liberia’s national leadership to advise and provide counsel due to his sharp intuition as well as his famously infectious raw sense of humor. Mr. Cohen will be missed by the many colleagues and employees that he mentored and helped develop. He was known for being authentic and original. His passing is a loss to Liberia and to all those that knew him.
