MONROVIA – The University of Liberia (UL) has revealed that it never received the US$1 million allocated in the 2024 national budget for renovation, leaving the institution grappling with deteriorating infrastructure and mounting financial liabilities.
Testifying before the Senate Committee on Education on Thursday, September 4, 2025, UL Comptroller Togar Gibson disclosed that the Ministry of Finance redirected the funds to pay adjunct professors, acting under a directive from President Joseph Boakai during the investiture of UL President Dr. Layli Maparyan.
“In 2024, the Ministry of Finance utilized a budget line from the University of Liberia to pay adjunct professors, following a directive from President Boakai during the investiture of Dr. Maparyan. As a result, this payment has now become a financial liability for the University,” Gibson explained.
The revelation comes at a time when the university is struggling with pressing demands from faculty members who have staged a strike, bringing academic activities across all campuses to a standstill.
Appearing alongside the Comptroller, UL President Dr. Maparyan painted a dire picture of the university’s needs, warning that without urgent government intervention, the institution could face deeper crises. She disclosed that the university requires US$3.9 million for general renovations and an additional US$300,000 to repair failing bathroom facilities.
Dr. Maparyan noted that while the university submitted a request for US$41 million in the 2025 national budget, only US$33 million was approved. Of that amount, she stressed, 90 percent has already been committed to salaries, leaving little to cover infrastructure repairs, operational costs, and other critical services.
“The truth is, the University of Liberia is financially strangled,” Dr. Maparyan told the Committee. “We are carrying the weight of aging buildings, insufficient facilities, and unresolved faculty demands, yet we are expected to deliver quality higher education.”
The disclosures have fueled concerns among students, faculty, and education stakeholders, who argue that the government’s failure to meet its budgetary commitments undermines the very foundation of the nation’s premier institution of higher learning.
As the faculty strike continues, pressure is mounting on both the Senate and the Ministry of Finance to address the university’s funding shortfall and provide the resources needed to restore normal operations.
For now, uncertainty hangs over the fate of the semester, as both students and faculty await concrete action from the government.
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