FrontPageAfrica’s Year in Review has once again revealed a truth that too many public officials in Liberia refuse to accept. Governance requires transparency, measurable results, and the humility to acknowledge shortcomings. Performance reviews are not attacks and criticism is not conspiracy.
They are tools in a democracy designed to push institutions toward improvement. Yet the Ministry of Youth and Sports under Cole Bangalu and the Ministry of Gender under Gbeme Kollie responded to their ratings not with introspection but with indignation, deflection, and emotional outbursts that say more about their leadership than their ministries’ work throughout the year.
Their reactions became a spotlight of their own, exposing the very weaknesses the report highlighted.
The Ministry of Youth and Sports received an “F” for the year’s performance, a verdict based on stalled youth programs, neglected sports infrastructure, and a general lack of impactful initiatives for young people across the country.
Rather than addressing the glaring deficiencies identified, Minister Cole Bangalu chose to frame the evaluation as retribution tied to an unrelated dispute involving electricity at the Samuel Kanyon Doe Sports Complex. He claimed that FrontPageAfrica’s co-owner, who also operates a restaurant there, was upset that the Ministry refused to provide free Liberia Electricity Corporation power as was allegedly done in the previous administration. According to him, this refusal is what justified the “F” grade.
This line of reasoning is troubling not only for its pettiness but for its complete avoidance of the real issue, which is the ministry’s performance. Instead of presenting evidence of meaningful youth skills training programs, nationwide sports development, or improvements at national facilities, the Ministry centered its defense on an argument that effectively distracts from its responsibility.
The mere suggestion that media assessment should be tied to favors or electricity concessions is deeply insulting to the public and reveals a misunderstanding of accountability. If the Ministry cannot defend its record with data and achievements, no amount of emotional rhetoric can substitute for results.
Meanwhile, nothing in the Minister’s rebuttal addressed the core concerns that have frustrated Liberian youth for years. The country continues to battle a youth unemployment rate that affects nearly every community. Sports infrastructure remains weak, leaving athletes without proper development pathways.
Vocational programs meant to empower young people are still struggling to reach national scale. These issues are not fabricated by the press. They are lived realities for thousands of young Liberians. An “F” grade may be unpleasant, but it reflects a ministry struggling to deliver on its mandate.
The Ministry of Gender’s response to receiving a “C” was equally disappointing. Minister Gbeme Kollie reacted by stating that she did not have money to take journalists and their families on trips in order to earn an “A”.
The comment, careless and dismissive, suggested that journalists only give good grades to officials who fund their travels. Whether intended as sarcasm or frustration, the implication was reckless. Instead of addressing shortcomings in the ministry’s performance, it shifted blame onto imaginary corruption within the media.
This tactic is not only unhelpful but damaging. The Ministry of Gender oversees critical areas affecting women, children, and vulnerable populations. It is responsible for responding to gender-based violence, strengthening empowerment programs, and coordinating national efforts to protect rights.
The past year saw rising cases of domestic abuse, inconsistent community programs, and delayed responses to urgent reports from counties. Civil society organizations frequently pointed out coordination lapses and gaps in nationwide outreach. A “C” grade, if anything, was lenient. The minister’s response did nothing to provide clarity on what was done, what went wrong, or what improvements are planned.
Both ministries demonstrated the same troubling pattern that shifting attention away from their own performance and attacking the credibility of the institution doing the evaluation. Instead of leadership that embraces transparency, Liberia witnessed leadership that resorts to excuses, emotional defenses, and misdirection. Such behavior is unworthy of institutions responsible for youth development and gender protection.
FrontPageAfrica’s assessment reviews are not a threat. In healthy democracies, they are a mirror held up to those in power. They allow the public to judge whether ministries are fulfilling their mandates. The point is not to embarrass officials but to demand better for the people they serve.
A ministry that reacts defensively to criticism is a ministry that is not prepared to improve. A ministry that blames the media for its failures is a ministry running from accountability. A ministry that cannot articulate its own achievements is a ministry that has not delivered enough.
Liberia needs ministries that can face evaluation with maturity, respond with facts, and correct their weaknesses with urgency. The responses from Minister Bangalu and Minister Kollie do not demonstrate that readiness. They demonstrate fragility where there should be confidence and denial where there should be reflection.
If the Ministry of Youth and Sports and the Ministry of Gender want better grades next year, they will need more than public complaints. They will need to show the nation measurable change. They will need to invest in programs that reach people in real ways. They will need to demonstrate results that cannot be mistaken or ignored. Most importantly, they will need to treat accountability not as an insult but as a foundation of public service.
Until that happens, no amount of defensiveness will lift their scores. Only performance will.
