NATIONAL NEWS
BUCHANAN – Liberia’s Ministry of Finance and Development Planning has launched a four-day training program aimed at strengthening journalists’ capacity to report effectively on fiscal decentralization and local governance.
By: Trokon S. Wrepue – trokon1992seokin@gmail.com
The training, being held in Buchanan, has brought together journalists from national and community radio stations, newspapers and online media across Liberia’s 15 counties.
Opening the program, Deputy Finance Minister for Fiscal Affairs Anthony G. Myers said journalists have an important role to play as the government gives local authorities greater responsibility for managing public resources and delivering services.
Mr. Myers said journalists need to understand county budgets, local revenue generation, procurement processes and public spending in order to properly explain fiscal decentralization to citizens. He stressed that decentralization cannot succeed if citizens do not understand how public money is collected, allocated and spent.
Providing an overview of the training, Dr. Romeo Gbartea, Director of Fiscal Decentralization at the Ministry of Finance, urged journalists to go beyond simply reporting government announcements and instead follow public resources, track development projects and question decisions that affect communities.
Dr. Gbartea also encouraged journalists, particularly those working with community radio, to make greater use of interactive programs and local languages to give ordinary citizens a stronger voice in local governance.
Deputy Minister for Local Government Edwin Mulbah described journalists as a vital link between government and communities, emphasizing their role as watchdogs, educators and voices for communities whose concerns may otherwise go unheard.
Mr. Mulbah said the media can monitor public spending and procurement, explain complex government policies in simple language and serve as a bridge between citizens and local authorities by asking questions and verifying whether government commitments are being fulfilled.
He cautioned, however, that decentralization is about more than moving government offices from Monrovia to the counties. According to him, the process should give communities a meaningful voice in local decision-making, greater access to resources and a stronger say in the services that directly affect their lives.
The training covers county budgeting, local revenue generation, procurement, public expenditure tracking and Liberia’s decentralization policy. It is being held under the theme, “Strengthening Community Radio Journalism for Effective Reporting on Fiscal Decentralization,” and forms part of the government’s ARREST Agenda for Inclusive Development 2025–2029.
The Press Union of Liberia has welcomed the initiative, with its president, Julius Kanubah, describing the training as an eye-opener and challenging journalists to take the lessons back to their respective communities.
Mr. Kanubah said stronger community radio journalism is critical to ensuring that citizens, particularly those in rural and marginalized communities, understand and participate in discussions about public resources and local development.
He also acknowledged the challenges confronting community media, including limited training in public finance reporting, inadequate equipment, funding shortages, transportation difficulties and limited access to county-level financial information.
Despite these challenges, government officials say the difficulties make strong and informed local journalism even more important to the success of fiscal decentralization.
Liberia’s decentralization program is anchored in the Local Government Act of 2018 and the National Decentralization and Local Governance Policy, which seek to strengthen local governance and increase citizens’ participation in decisions affecting their communities.
