User:Renamed user cvvitzlide/Musa Bility

Musa Hassan Bility is a Liberian businessman, philanthropist, and current president of the Liberian Football Association. He is the founder of several business ventures in Liberia, including Srimex Oil and Gas Company and Renaissance Communication Network, operators of Liberia's Truth FM Radio and Real TV. In 2015, Musa announced his intention to run for [Presidency] after Sepp Blatter declared that he is stepping down from the position.

Early Years

Musa was born in a rural community in Nimba County in the North-eastern region of Liberia, near the border with Ivory Coast. His parents were practising muslims of Mandingo extraction, and were actively involved in the social and cultural life of their small village. While his father ran a trading post, selling dry goods to locals, his mother cultivated a piece of land growing vegetables for her family and the local market. Musa's first experience with business, a he recalls, was by watching his parents trade their wares in the local community. His relentlessness and commitment to excellence, as he puts it, "comes from the small but consistent moments of learning that happened in his parent's household." Walking with his mother for six to seven hours each way to the farm, for instance, he remembers being told to see the journey as a lesson in patience, one that holds the promise of better results. But young Musa did not understand why his family lived in extreme poverty, why he had to get by without the basic necessities of life. His mother would later intervene, and assure her curious child that one may start at the bottom of the ladder, only to end up at the top. She encouraged him to pursue formal education, and constantly told him to follow the path of diligence and excellence. Musa considers his mother the source of his success in business and life in general. With no Western education, she managed to inculcate the thirst for books and literacy. She understand the importance of education and ensured the young Musa had access to basic primary education."It's rather fascinating," Musa says, "to look back and wonder how a woman without formal education, without any form of exposure to the wilder world, world possess such measure of insight."

Education and Career

Musa earned his bachelors degree in Economics AME Zion University in Liberia, after studying abroad for a year at Johnson Wales University Providence, Rhode Island.

While an undergraduate in Liberia, Musa was actively involved in student leadership, serving as the pioneer president of Student Union for National Unity (SUNU), a body that emerged immediately after the Liberian Civil War. SUNU was formed to explore ways to engage students in peace building, and social re-integration processes. It was during this time that Musa met and formed struck friendships with student leaders in other universities, the likes Edwin Snowe, who would later become Musa's predecessor at the Liberian Football Association.

Musa also reveals that his business interest in oil and gas started while studying. He had a small gas exchange business, selling gas in jars to cars in downtown Monrovia, using the proceeds to fund his education.

After college, Musa worked as a freelance journalist, and then as a columnist for the New Diplomat. In 1995, he established Renaissance Communications, which currently operates Truth FM Radio and Real TV. Both media outfits currently dominate the airwaves in Liberia, reaching more audiences than its competitors. In 1999, as Liberia recovered from the war, Musa founded Srimex Enterprises, one of Liberia's leading companies and a top employer of labor. Srimex Enterprises began with marketing commodities such as rice & cement before expanding into petroleum products in 2009, positioning itself as a key player in Liberia's growing oil & gas industry. It is on record that Musa's company was instrumental in breaking the 20+ years cement monopoly; paving the way for other companies to have access to the market. In 2014, Srimex Enterprises received recognition as the largest Liberian owned and second largest importer of petroleum products in the country by the Liberia Petroleum Refining Company.

Musa was elected President Liberia Football Association (LFA ) President in 2010, bringing his lifelong love for football to a prominent height. He succeeded Edwin Snowe, and was subsequently re-elected for a second term, in 2014. As President, he established a memorandum of understanding between the LFA and the Ministry of Youth and Sports, an arrangement that translated to more independence for the football body. The push for independence was to ensure that Musa's vision of restructuring the body was not unnecessarily delayed by bureaucratic processes. Musa considers his presidency as a privileged platform to reach out to young people, to cultivate their talents, and provide them the opportunity to realise their dreams. Consequently, he has focused on building systems and structures that were not there, that were broken or rendered inefficient by the civil war. Instead of courting football players who were already internationals, Musa paid attention to local talents, building capacity at the national level.

Under Musa's administration, the LFA designed its ten year development programme, which is aimed at reviving and upgrading Liberia's football infrastructure. This includes training programmes for local referees and sports administrators, setting standards for hiring coaches, building training centres for local athletes, and establishing international partnerships with tangible local expectations. One of such partnerships is the recent agreement with Arsenal FC to train young football talents.

Musa draws from his business experience to run the LFA. He is the first LFA President to explore public-private partnerships in the advancement of football. The renovation of the Samuel Kanyon Doe Sports Complex was partly finance by companies that do business in Liberia, a move that was facilitated by Musa and his team.

FIFA Candidacy

In June 2015, Musa Bility became the second candidate to declare interest in FIFA Presidency after Zico. In an interview with the BBC, Musa mentions that his decision run is connected to the fact that "Africa is the largest voting bloc in Fifa," a reality that does not often reflect in the flow of resources to football associations on the continent.

Personal Life and Creed

Musa is a strong advocate of interfaith dialogue and a believer in our collective humanity. A practising muslim, his wife Denise is a christian, and they have been married for thirty one years. They raise their four children to embrace people for what they are, not based on what religion they practice. Drawing from his humble childhood, and personal journey from extreme poverty to success in business, Musa believes in the innate potential of everyone. People should be giving a chance to prove themselves. This personal creed drives his business, philanthropic, and political partnerships.

External links

"Musa Bility: Liberia FA boss to stand for Fifa presidency."

"Liberia FA chief Musa Bility running for FIFA president."

"Liberia FA president Musa Bility announces run for FIFA presidency as he claims Africa can rebuild world football's governing body."