HARPER, Maryland County — Liberia has crossed the US$1 billion mark in domestic revenue collection for the first time in the country’s 179-year history, the Minister of the Ministry Finance and Development Planning(MFDP), Augustine Kpehe Ngafuan, has announced.
By Peter P. Toe, Jr., [email protected]
Minister Ngafuan made the disclosure on Monday, Monday, September 14 while serving as keynote speaker at the 17th Founder’s Day celebration of William V.S. Tubman University in Harper City, Maryland County.
The MFDP Minister said he received a real-time revenue dashboard update from Liberia Revenue Authority Commissioner General James Dorbor Jallah showing that domestic revenue had surpassed US$1 billion.
“Liberia, your country, my country, has just crossed the threshold of one billion United States dollars in domestic revenue within a single year,” Minister Ngafuan stated.
According to him, the government has set a US$1.3 billion domestic revenue target for the end of 2026, expressing confidence that the target will be achieved.
Minister Ngafuan pointed out that the milestone should not be credited solely to the government, but to Liberians across the country who contribute to national revenue through taxes and other payments.
He named President Joseph Nyuma Boakai, Vice President Jeremiah Kpan Koung, himself, the LRA leadership and other government officials, while emphasizing that the achievement belongs to the Liberian people.
“The market woman who pays her taxes, the worker whose income is taxed, the business that applies for the loan and the customs officer who does an everyday honest work,” he said, are all part of the achievement.
The minister acknowledged that increased revenue alone does not mean that every aspect of life has improved, but argued that the development demonstrates an expansion in the state’s ability to mobilize resources.
“Revenue alone cannot prove that every aspect of life is better today,” Minister Ngafuan said. “It does prove that post-war Liberia is expanding the capacity of the state and that recovery can grow into renewal.”
He said the milestone was particularly appropriate to celebrate at Tubman University because public revenue is increasingly being reflected in investments across the country.
Minister Ngafuan pointed to government-funded salaries, health facilities, roads, schools and other public infrastructure as examples of how increased revenue can support national development.
He highlighted support to the Jackson F. Doe Memorial Regional Referral Hospital in Tappita City, Nimba County, including seven vehicles, ambulances, employee buses, drugs and operational logistics as well as an emergency ward under construction and a 50-kilovolt generator.
He also cited a new College of Nursing complex and auditorium at Grand Gedeh University.
At William VS Tubman University, Minister Ngafuan said government support has increased significantly since the institution’s transformation. He recalled that approximately US$1.5 million in government support in 2009 helped launch the transformation of the university.
Under the 2026 national budget, he said Tubman University’s allocation stands at approximately US$6.4 million. Minister Ngafuan stressed that the allocation should not be viewed as a final destination.
“Six point four million is not a destination. We are on a journey upwards,” he said. He added that approximately US$1 million of the current allocation is supporting priority capital projects and rehabilitation at the university.
According to Minister Ngafuan, the impact of the funding is already visible in ongoing repairs at the university’s Academic Complex and Elizabeth Davis Russell Building.
The minister said the government’s broader objective is to transform increased domestic revenue into sustainable investments that improve public services and expand opportunities for Liberians.
The Founder’s Day Celebration brought together government officials, university administrators, faculty, students, alumni and other stakeholders in Harper to mark the institution’s 17th Founder’s Day Observance.
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