Monrovia, Liberia — The Ministry of Finance and Development Planning (MFDP) stands accused of unlawful fiscal practices, following a 2024 audit that revealed it illegally withheld millions from the University of Liberia (UL). This alleged financial indiscipline has pushed the nation’s flagship university to the brink of collapse, sparking a national debate on government priorities and accountability.
A report by the General Auditing Commission (GAC) found that the UL was denied $2.6 million of its legally approved budget, a clear violation of the Public Financial Management (PFM) Act. The audit raises serious questions about whether the ministry is deliberately manipulating national priorities and disregarding legislative authority.
According to UL President, Professor Dr. Layli Maparyan, the university is in a state of severe disrepair. She stated that at least $3.9 million is needed for facility renovations, with an additional $300,000 required to fix broken bathrooms, a situation she called a “national disgrace.” Despite a $41 million budget request, UL received only $33 million, with 90% of those funds consumed by salaries, leaving virtually nothing for crucial infrastructure, laboratories, libraries, or student services.
To cope, the university has resorted to drastic measures, including payroll cleanups and mandatory retirement for staff over 60. However, these steps are seen by many as insufficient to address what observers call a “systemic financial strangulation” by the Finance Ministry.
The GAC report highlights a troubling disparity in government spending. While UL and more than 100 other institutions were collectively underfunded by $78.2 million, several agencies enjoyed unexplained financial windfalls. The National Bureau of Concessions overspent its approved budget by a shocking 42.58%, or $373.6 million. Similarly, the Ministry of Public Works received an extra $2.3 million, a 6.12% increase beyond its legislative ceiling. Other beneficiaries of unauthorized budget surpluses included the Liberia Airport Authority, Liberia Revenue Authority, and National Food Assistance Agency.
Auditors warned that such arbitrary disbursements undermine transparency, distort national development priorities, and erode public trust. The GAC did not mince words, stating, “This is not a mistake, it is systemic,” and accused the Finance Ministry of “weaponizing” under-disbursements against vulnerable institutions like UL while favoring select agencies.
Meanwhile, the consequences of this neglect are evident at UL: collapsing classrooms, overcrowded lecture halls, darkened libraries, and under-equipped laboratories have become the daily reality for students and staff. For an institution tasked with training Liberia’s future doctors, lawyers, engineers, and policymakers, the neglect is seen as a betrayal of the nation’s youth.
Critics argue that starving higher education of funding in a country where over 60% of the population is under 25 is not just irresponsible but dangerous. Every dollar denied to UL represents a lost opportunity for thousands of Liberian students striving for a better future. Analysts insist that Dr. Maparyan’s warning should not be dismissed as a routine complaint but as a desperate plea to rescue a university that is “rotting from deliberate neglect.”
The consensus among observers is that unless the Finance Ministry halts its arbitrary financial practices and honors legislative appropriations, Liberia risks crippling its own development by destroying the very institution responsible for shaping its next generation of leaders.
