Lofa County: History
Lofa County was established from the former Western Province in 1964. The civil war, which began in 1989, adversely affected the county. Many people left the area as refugees in 1999 and the early 2000s as it became a main focus of fighting during the Liberian civil war. The Red Cross said that in January 2004, many people had begun to return from refugee camps in neighboring Guinea and Sierra Leone. At that time, the county's population was estimated to be 34,310. Pakistan Army UNMIL peacekeepers were in place by 2005.
The largest city and county capital is Voinjama, with a population of 4,945. Foya is the second largest city (population 1,760). Lofa produced one of the nation's most respected leaders in the late vice president Dr. Harry F. Moniba who served from 1984 to 1990.
Another notable son of Lofa is President Joseph Nyumah Boakai, who previously served as Liberia's Vice President during the Ellen Sirleaf Administration for 12 years from 2006 to 2018, and is currently the President of Liberia as of 2024.