By Lewis S. Teh
MONROVIA, August 20, 2026: The Center for Transparency and Accountability in Liberia (CENTAL) has welcomed reports that the Liberia Revenue Authority (LRA) exceeded its 2026 domestic revenue target, but urged the government to ensure that additional revenue is spent on projects that directly benefit ordinary Liberians.
CENTAL Executive Director Anderson D. Miamen described the revenue performance as a significant development in Liberia’s domestic resource mobilization drive and commended LRA Commissioner General James Dorbor Jallah and his team.
“Recent news about the Liberia Revenue Authority exceeding its revenue target for 2026 is highly welcoming. Thanks to Commissioner Dorbor Jallah and his team for job well-done,” Miamen said in a statement.
He said the achievement demonstrates Liberia’s potential to significantly increase domestic revenue if authorities strengthen technology, transparency and oversight across the collection system.
“It has been conspicuously clear that Liberia has been cheated over time, given the low domestic revenues generated,” Miamen said.
“Thank you Millions, but go away!! We need Billions and even Trillions!!” he added.
Push for Higher Revenue
Miamen urged the LRA to intensify revenue collection across various sectors and close potential leakages as the country seeks to expand its domestic revenue base.
He argued that Liberia has the potential to move beyond collecting hundreds of millions of dollars and eventually reach the billion-dollar threshold through improved systems, stronger enforcement and greater accountability.
However, the CENTAL executive director said increasing revenue collection alone would not be enough, stressing that equal attention must be paid to how the money is allocated and spent.
“The concern, however, is what happens to the monies generated, in terms of allocating them to activities that directly and substantively benefit the population,” he said.
Miamen called for additional revenue to be directed toward programs and projects that improve the lives of ordinary Liberians, particularly women, children, persons with disabilities and communities lacking basic social services.
He cautioned the government against using increased revenue to purchase luxury vehicles and logistics for senior officials or finance programs he said provide little direct benefit to citizens.
Miamen also warned against spending additional public resources on committees dominated by what he described as “recycled politicians.”
“The money should not openly or covertly fund the ill-advised Foya-based Presidential project or similarly situated initiatives that mean nothing to ordinary citizens,” he said.
CENTAL did not provide details in the statement about the specific Foya-based project referenced by Miamen.
“We Will Be Watching”
Miamen said CENTAL and other civil society actors would closely monitor how the additional revenue is allocated and spent.
“We will be closely watching to see where the extra millions will be allocated and spent, whether on recycled politicians and their likes or on projects and activities that are directly beneficial to ordinary citizens,” he said.
He stressed that increased government revenue should translate into tangible improvements in public services, particularly for people living in underserved and remote communities.
“Thank you Millions, but go away!! We want Billions that are properly allocated and managed to tangibly benefit Liberians, including those in remote locations and lacking basic social services,” Miamen said.
The LRA’s revenue performance comes amid government efforts to strengthen domestic resource mobilization and increase the country’s capacity to finance national development through internally generated revenue rather than heavy reliance on external assistance.
