MONROVIA – Madam Nikolina Stalhand, Program Officer at the Swedish Embassy in Liberia, has called for greater commitment and action in the fight against corruption during the official presentation of the fourth edition of the 2024 State of Corruption Report (SCORE) on Wednesday, June 11, 2025, at the Boulevard Palace Hotel in Sinkor.
The report, produced by the Center for Transparency and Accountability in Liberia (CENTAL) with support from the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA) through the Embassy of Sweden, is a flagship component of CENTAL’s National Integrity Building and Anti-Corruption Program. It offers a detailed analysis of Liberia’s corruption environment, including public perceptions, institutional performance, and media coverage.
Addressing participants at the launch event, Madam Stalhand, who is nearing the end of her diplomatic assignment in Liberia, said she was honored to witness the unveiling of the report for the third time since arriving in the country four years ago.
“I believe this is my third one, and I’m very happy to be here this year as well,” she said. “Just like the other years, we are very much looking forward to receiving the reports in our hands, and digging into the different figures, the successes and the challenges that we have presented here today.”
Stalhand emphasized that while Liberia has made some commendable progress in institutional reforms and governance, significant challenges remain, particularly in tackling impunity and ensuring enforcement of laws.
“We can all agree that transparency and accountability are important preconditions for inclusive development,” she stated. “But still, we see that corruption and lack of transparency exist in various forms and to different extents in every country, and even in Liberia. This was also shown in the report, and also in many other reports. As you can see, it was captured in the scoreboard.”
The Swedish envoy welcomed the Boakai administration’s initial steps in addressing corruption, including progress toward the establishment of a war and economic crimes court, and the operationalization of the office of the ombudsman. However, she stressed that efforts must go beyond creating institutions.
“Agencies and commissions need to not only be established, but also be adequately resourced,” she said. “Laws need to be abided by, and in cases where this does not happen, there shall be consequences. Impunity needs to be stopped for everyone.”
Stalhand also highlighted the role of civil society, the media, and ordinary citizens in fostering accountability, noting that informed and engaged populations are crucial in holding duty bearers to account.
In her remarks, she expressed appreciation to CENTAL for their work in producing the report and praised the organization for their continued partnership with the Swedish government.
“I have had the privilege to work with CENTAL over the time since I came here to Liberia four years ago,” she said. “And as I’m soon about to depart, I would like to thank you for a great cooperation over the past few years.”
As she concluded her address, Stalhand reaffirmed Sweden’s commitment to supporting anti-corruption efforts in Liberia, pledging that the Embassy would continue to work with CENTAL and other key actors to ensure the findings and recommendations in the SCORE report are not only disseminated but also acted upon.
“We are looking forward to continuing work with CENTAL, appearing in dialogue in cooperation, and also with other stakeholders to ensure that the findings and the recommendations of this report will be taken forward after the launch here today, contributing to more transparency, stronger accountability and less corruption,” she noted.
The launch of the SCORE 2024 report brought together government officials, members of the diplomatic community, civil society representatives, and media organizations, all united by a shared concern for good governance and accountability in Liberia.
