Liberia: Journalists Trained to Track County Government Spending

Published: September 11, 2026

BUCHANAN, Grand Bassa County — Journalists from all 15 counties began a four-day training here Thursday on how to read county budgets, local revenue records and procurement documents, as the government moves public spending decisions out of Monrovia and into county structures that have rarely been covered closely.

Officials opening the workshop told participants that reproducing government announcements is no longer enough in a decentralizing system, and that journalists must follow the money itself.

“Following the money” should become central to local reporting, said Romeo Gbartea, director of fiscal decentralization at the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning. He urged journalists to monitor development projects, examine spending decisions and question government actions that affect their communities rather than simply reproducing official statements, and he encouraged community radio journalists to use interactive programs and local languages so citizens can discuss local governance and demand accountability on air.

Deputy Finance Minister for Fiscal Affairs Anthony G. Myers said journalists carry a critical responsibility as Liberia transfers greater control over public resources and service delivery to local authorities, and that covering decentralization properly requires understanding county budgets, local revenue, procurement and public expenditure.

Information Minister Jerolinmek M. Piah, whose remarks Deputy Information Minister for Technical Services Nat Bayjay delivered, said the press turns policy into something the public owns.

“As Liberia accelerates its fiscal decentralization program, the role of journalists, especially locally based ones, is very important,” Piah said. “Including the media in this process goes beyond participation. This is a reminder that the media serves as the critical bridge between policy formulation and public ownership in implementing Liberia’s National Policy on Decentralization and Local Governance.”

Piah said journalists should move the narrative hub from Monrovia to rural communities and examine the performance of local structures such as the County Treasury Framework and the County Development Agendas. He said the training should also equip reporters to translate technical language into terms audiences understand.

“The reading and listening audiences need to understand terms such as revenue sharing formulas, budget disaggregation, and county service center allocations, and so forth,” he said.

Deputy Minister for Local Government Edward Mulbah described the media as a watchdog, an educator and a bridge between government and citizens, and said journalists can help communities determine whether government promises are being kept by asking questions, tracking commitments and carrying citizens’ concerns back to the authorities.

Press Union of Liberia President Julius Kanubah welcomed the initiative, calling it an eye-opener and urging participants to take what they learn back to their communities.

The workshop, organized by the Finance Ministry in collaboration with the Ministry of Local Government, has drawn reporters from national and community radio stations, newspapers and online outlets. Sessions cover county budgeting, local revenue generation, procurement, public expenditure tracking and Liberia’s decentralization policy. It is running under the theme “Strengthening Community Radio Journalism for Effective Reporting on Fiscal Decentralization” and forms part of the ARREST Agenda for Inclusive Development 2025-2029.

Liberia’s decentralization framework is anchored in the Local Government Act of 2018 and the National Decentralization and Local Governance Policy, which shift responsibility for raising and spending public money toward county administrations.

Myers said the exercise will not end in Buchanan. He told participants the training would continue, replicated across the country to give national and local journalists the tools to cover fiscal decentralization.