By Lincoln G. Peters
MONROVIA, August 17, 2026: River Gee County Senator Jonathan Boycharles Sogbie has hailed the enactment of the National Sports Fund Authority Act, describing it as a major step toward ending chronic funding shortages and improving sports infrastructure and talent development across Liberia.
The Act, sponsored by Senator Sogbie, establishes the Liberia National Sports Fund Authority, a government body responsible for mobilizing, managing and disbursing funds for sports development.
The legislation was passed by the Senate on July 23, 2025, and subsequently concurred with by the House of Representatives before being signed into law by President Joseph Nyuma Boakai and printed into handbill.
Speaking at a news conference Monday at his Capitol Building office, Sogbie praised President Boakai, Vice President Jeremiah Kpan Koung and members of the Legislature for supporting the legislation.
He said the law provides a long-term financing mechanism to address persistent funding, infrastructure and logistical challenges confronting Liberian athletes and national teams.
“Today we are about to speak about the National Sports Fund Authority, an Act that was recently signed by the President and published into handbill by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, that we believe will alleviate most, if not all, of the problems regarding this no-money syndrome,” Sogbie said.
The senator said Liberian sports have for years struggled with inadequate financing, affecting national teams, athletes, coaches, sporting facilities and efforts to identify and develop young talent.
Under the law, the Sports Fund will receive financing through levies on luxury and non-sport-related goods, along with annual government budgetary subsidies, donations and grants.
Funds generated under the scheme are expected to support the construction and modernization of stadiums and other sporting facilities, national teams participating in international competitions, youth development and talent identification programs, as well as the training and certification of coaches and technical personnel.
The Authority will operate under a Board of Directors and be subject to legislative oversight. Its finances, including donations and government subsidies, will also be subject to annual independent audits, with the findings made public.
Sogbie described the legislation as more than a funding mechanism, saying it could provide a lifeline for athletes and coaches who have struggled for years with inadequate resources.
“For far too long, our national teams and young talents have suffered from neglect,” he said, arguing that the new law provides an opportunity to establish more sustainable and transparent financing for sports.
Sogbie said the structure of the Authority is intended to give sports federations significant responsibility for managing the sector.
“We will not blame the politicians, we will not blame the lawyers, we will blame ourselves,” he said, referring to the role of sports stakeholders in the Authority.
The River Gee County Senator also thanked his colleagues in both houses of the Legislature for supporting the bill.
“I got overwhelming support from the Liberia Senate. We got overwhelming support from the House of Representatives. And today, we have seen this thing coming to fruition,” he said.
Meanwhile, Sogbie disclosed that attention is now turning to the proposed National County Meet Act, which he said is awaiting action by the House of Representatives after passage by the Senate.
“We are now looking forward to the passage of the National County Meet Act,” Sogbie said. “We are hoping that the lower house will concur with the Senate so that the President signs that into law.”
