Monrovia, September 9, 2026 – Liberia’s Ministry of Finance and Development Planning (MFDP) is set to hold a four-day training program for journalists on reporting fiscal decentralization and local governance.
The training, organized through the Ministry’s Fiscal Decentralization Unit, will take place in Buchanan, Grand Bassa County, from September 9 to 12. Journalists from national broadcasters, community radio stations, online television platforms, and newspapers are expected to attend.
The Ministry says the program is intended to strengthen media coverage of county budgets, public spending, local revenue collection, procurement, and development projects as part of the ongoing devolution of power to local government authorities.
The training is also part of the government’s ARREST Agenda for Inclusive Development (AAID) 2025–2029, which emphasizes decentralization, transparency, accountability, and greater citizen participation in local decision-making.
Fiscal decentralization involves transferring selected financial, administrative, and service-delivery responsibilities from the central government to county and local authorities.
The government says the reforms are intended to improve public spending, strengthen local accountability, and give communities a greater role in setting development priorities.
However, access to information about public finances and local government remains limited in many rural communities.
The Ministry says stronger journalism can help address that gap, particularly through community radio, which reaches audiences in local languages and communities with limited internet access.
Participants will receive training on decentralization policies, county governance, budgeting, local revenue generation, procurement, and public expenditure tracking.
Sessions will also cover strengthening community radio journalism for effective reporting on fiscal decentralization and local governance.
The Ministry says the program will also help journalists use interactive radio and other citizen-focused reporting approaches to encourage public discussion and greater scrutiny of local government.
The opening session of the Fiscal Decentralization Training for Journalists is expected to be attended by the Francis Sakila Nyumalin Sr., Minister of Local Government, Information Minister, Jerolinmick Mathew Piah; Deputy Finance Minister for Fiscal Affairs, Anthony G. Myers; Deputy Minister of Finance for Administration, Benedict Haryleyson; Comptroller and Accountant General, Elwood T. Netty, Grand Bassa County Superintendent Karyou Johnson and Romeo Gbartea, Director of the Fiscal Decentralization Unit at the MFDP.
Officials hope the initiative will lead to stronger public-interest journalism and greater transparency and accountability in the management of public resources across Liberia’s counties.
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