Monrovia — The Government of Liberia says the first group of 20 individuals being transferred from the United States under a bilateral arrangement will arrive in Liberia on Thursday, August 20, 2026.
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Inside Liberia’s Stalled War on Drugs, Investigation into multiple narcotics busts
Monrovia – MONROVIA — For weeks, the question hanging over Liberia’s largest-ever drug bust was whether anyone would be formally charged at all. That question has now been answered, but the answer has raised a different one: why do the charges stop where they do?
A Billion Dollars Is a Number. The Test Is What It Buys
LIBERIA IS ABOUT to do something it has never done in its history: collect more than one billion United States dollars in domestic revenue in a single year. On the figures reported this week, the country will very likely cross that line in September. It is worth pausing on what that means, and, more importantly, on what it does not yet mean.
Liberia Set to Cross US$1 Billion in Domestic Revenue for First Time
MONROVIA — Liberia is on course to collect more than one billion United States dollars in domestic revenue in a single year for the first time in its history, with the milestone expected to be crossed in September.
Figures from the Liberia Revenue Authority show that collections stood at US$901 million as at August 14, leaving US$99 million to be raised before the country passes a threshold that has been a stated national ambition across successive administrations. On the Authority’s current run rate, that gap closes within weeks.
“One billion dollars will not be the achievement,” said James Dorbor Jallah, Commissioner General of the Liberia Revenue Authority. “What it pays for is — the clinics, the classrooms and the roads we no longer have to ask anyone else to fund. And a record only means something if it becomes the new floor rather than the high point. Nothing about next year is guaranteed by what we do this year.”
The pace tells the story. March brought two one-off signature bonuses totaling US$211 million, of which US$200 million came from ArcelorMittal. Setting that windfall aside, the Authority collected an average of US$88 million a month between January and July. August has run ahead of that pace, with US$75 million banked in the first fourteen days alone.
Even on conservative assumptions — August closing at no better than the underlying monthly average, and September doing the same — the billion-dollar mark is reached before the end of next month. On the more likely trajectory suggested by August’s opening fortnight, it arrives sooner.
Not a one-off
The March windfall raises an obvious question: whether the record rests on a single large payment rather than on the underlying strength of collections
The arithmetic answers it. Excluding those payments altogether, underlying collections are tracking toward roughly US$1.05 billion for the full year. On that basis alone — treating the US$211 million as though it had never been received — Liberia would still cross one billion dollars, though later in the year, around the beginning of December.
The exceptional payments bring the milestone forward by some weeks. They do not create it.
Three years, one decade’s worth of growth
The billion-dollar figure is the headline, but it is the trajectory behind it that officials are pointing to.
Domestic revenue stood at US$612 million in 2023. In 2024, the first full year under the current government and the current management of the Revenue Authority, collections rose to US$699 million — an increase of US$87 million, and US$9 million above the target set for the year. In 2025, collections reached US$848 million, a further increase of US$149 million and US$44 million above target.
Each of those years set a record as the highest domestic revenue ever collected in the country’s history. Together, the two years added US$236 million to annual collections — more, according to the Authority, than the thirteen preceding years added combined.
Should collections close 2026 at approximately US$1.22 billion, as the current pace suggests, annual domestic revenue will have doubled from the 2023 base of US$612 million in the space of three years. Reaching that figure requires around US$72 million a month between now and December 31 — below the US$88 million monthly average the Authority has sustained through the year to date.
That would put the increase in annual domestic revenue across the three years at US$612 million — as much again as the entire sum collected in 2023. The comparison that matters, though, is with what came before. Annual collections rose by roughly US$490 million between the 2006/07 fiscal year, the first full budget year after the war, and 2023 — a span of seventeen years. On the Authority’s projection, three years will have added more than the seventeen that preceded them.
The Finance Minister has already pointed to the trend. Addressing the National Steering Committee on the ARREST Agenda for Inclusive Development in Monrovia on August 11, Augustine Kpehe Ngafuan set out the year’s collection figures and said the trajectory left the country “firmly on course to meet the approved 2026 revenue target of US$1.3 billion.”
That figure covers the full resource envelope for the year. Of the US$1.301 billion, US$1.182 billion is domestic revenue and US$120 million comes from external partners. And because US$5 million of the domestic figure is carried forward from last year’s surplus, the sum the Authority must actually collect this year is US$1.176 billion. On the trajectory described above it will pass that too, by roughly US$48 million — a third consecutive year above target, and the widest margin of the three.
What is driving it
The Authority attributes the sustained over-performance to a set of administrative changes rather than to new taxes or higher rates.
Chief among them are reforms to tax administration, the digitization of filing and payment systems, modernization at customs, and a concerted effort to close leakages in the collection chain. Together these are intended to widen the base of compliant taxpayers, shorten the distance between an assessment and a payment, and reduce the discretion at which revenue has historically been lost.
At customs, the reform agenda now carries a measurement. The Authority’s second National Time Release Study, published in July with the World Customs Organization, found that imported cargo takes an average of 12 days, 19 hours and 42 minutes to move from vessel arrival to final exit at the Freeport of Monrovia.
“Twelve days and nineteen hours is what it currently costs to bring a container through the Freeport,” said Saa Saamoi, Commissioner of Customs. “We have committed to three. Every day taken out of that is revenue arriving sooner and one less reason for a trader to treat Liberia as the expensive route.”
He has called on shipping lines, terminal operators and customs brokers to work toward that target.
The ratio that matters
For economists, the more telling measure is not the absolute figure but what share of the economy it represents.
On IMF figures, domestic revenue was equivalent to 13.4 percent of GDP in 2023. It rose to 14.5 percent in 2024 and to 15.9 percent in 2025 — a gain of two and a half percentage points in two years. The Fund projects 16.3 percent for 2026.
That climb is the strongest available evidence that something has changed structurally rather than cyclically. The economy was growing throughout: real output expanded by 4.6 percent in 2023, 4.0 percent in 2024 and 5.1 percent in 2025. A ratio that rises while the denominator is also rising means collections outpaced the economy that produced them — the difference between a state taxing a larger economy and a state that has become better at taxing.
The Fund’s own projection carries a caution, though. The increase it expects for 2026 is four-tenths of a percentage point, against 1.1 points in 2024 and 1.4 in 2025. On that forecast, the steepest part of the climb is already behind. The IMF continues to describe more ambitious domestic revenue mobilization as a priority for Liberia, and identifies low domestic revenue as a constraint on the country’s capacity to finance infrastructure and climate-resilient investment.
Not everyone was convinced
The projections were not universally believed. When the 2026 budget went before the House in November, the Joint Committee on Ways, Means, Finance and Public Accounts opened its review by questioning the revenue assumptions, several of which lawmakers judged inflated and uncertain. The committee chair, Representative P. Mike Jurry, said the Legislature would not be swayed by the symbolism of a billion-dollar budget and pressed the Executive for verifiable figures. He singled out the projected US$200 million ArcelorMittal bonus, warning that it had to survive technical and legal verification, and recalled that earlier administrations had built budgets on optimistic estimates before returning mid-year to borrow against the shortfall. Lawmakers also questioned whether domestic revenue would stretch to cover Liberia’s rising debt-servicing obligations without squeezing allocations to health and education.
Much of that has since been answered. The bonus was received. Collections have tracked the forecast. The debt warning has not been tested: servicing is budgeted at US$230 million this year, and the squeeze the committee described would not show up in a collection figure.
What comes next
The immediate significance of crossing one billion dollars is fiscal room. Every dollar raised domestically is a dollar the government does not have to borrow or seek from external partners, and domestic revenue is the portion of the budget over which the state has the most direct control.
The harder test is durability. Revenue records set on the back of administrative tightening tend to deliver their largest gains early, as the most visible leakages are closed and the most easily reached taxpayers are brought into the net. The Fund’s own forecast of a much smaller rise in 2026 points the same way. Whether the ratio climbs beyond 16 percent in 2027 and after will depend on whether the reforms have changed the system’s underlying capacity or simply collected more efficiently from within its existing limits.
For now, the number stands at US$901 million and rising. Barring an abrupt reversal in the weeks ahead, Liberia will end September having done something it has never done before.
Liberia: Police Chief Demands Senator Konneh “Show the Evidence” in Cocaine Cartel Claims
MONROVIA — A pointed letter from Liberia’s top police official to Sen. Amara Konneh has escalated tensions between law enforcement and the legislature over who is really being protected — and who is being scapegoated — in the country’s record-setting cocaine investigation.
Group Home Operator Sekou Dukuly Disputes Characterization in NPR/MPR Investigation, Points to Absence of Fraud Findings
MONROVIA, Liberia — No federal or state authority has accused Sekou Dukuly of fraud, and that fact, he and his associates argue, has been overshadowed in a recent NPR/MPR News investigation into his Minnesota group home businesses.
Liberia: 16-Year-Old’s Testimony Puts NSA Agent at Center of Rape Trial as Witness Recounts Three Alleged Sexual Assaults, Abduction and Roadside Abandonment
MONROVIA – A 16-year-old alleged victim has delivered a deeply troubling account in the rape trial of National Security Agency Operative Peter Bon Jallah, telling Criminal Court “E” that he was sexually abused on three separate occasions and later transported across Monrovia before being abandoned by the roadside.
Liberia: When Young People Encounter God: Rainbow Global Conference Ignites a New Generation of Intercessors and Kingdom Influencers
MONROVIA, LIBERIA — Hundreds of young people from Monrovia and surrounding communities gathered at the Liberty Christian Centre in Gardnersville from August 13–15, 2026 for the ninth edition of the Rainbow Global Conference, a three-day spiritual gathering held under the theme:, “The Manifestation of His Power.”
Liberia: President Boakai Breaks Ground For Landmark Providence Island Development Project
Monrovia – President Joseph Nyuma Boakai, Sr. has officially broken ground for the development of Providence Island, marking a major step in the Government of Liberia’s efforts to preserve the country’s history while transforming one of its most important heritage sites into a competitive tourism destination.
The groundbreaking represents a significant milestone in the implementation of the Government’s tourism development agenda and signals a shift toward deliberate investment in Liberia’s cultural and heritage assets as part of the ARREST Agenda for Inclusive Development.
Speaking at the ceremony, President Boakai described Providence Island as central to Liberia’s historical identity and reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to ensuring that the country’s history is preserved, developed and presented to the world.
“We said tourism was going to be an important part of the ARREST Agenda. And today, we have started,” President Boakai said.
The President emphasized that Liberia possesses an important historical legacy that deserves greater international recognition.
“We want Liberians to know that if there is any history in Africa, we have it here,” he said. “This historic island is the beginning of the history of Liberia, and we are going to make the world know that it was not a forgotten place.”
Providence Island occupies a special place in Liberia’s national history and remains one of the country’s most significant heritage assets. Its development is intended to combine historical preservation, tourism infrastructure and visitor experience, creating a destination capable of attracting Liberians, members of the diaspora and international visitors while safeguarding the historical significance of the island for future generations.
President Boakai acknowledged that development of the historic site had been anticipated for years but said the groundbreaking represented the beginning of a new chapter.
“Even though some of you feel that there has been a little delay, I think today is the day,” the President said before formally breaking ground for the project.
Chairman of the Board of the Liberia National Tourism Authority (LNTA), Ambassador Christopher Hayes Onanuga, said the development demonstrates the Government’s willingness to move beyond discussions about Liberia’s tourism potential and make concrete investments in destination development.
He disclosed that initial works on the island are being financed directly by the Government of Liberia and credited President Boakai for ensuring that the project moved forward.
“We want the whole world to know that whatever money is being spent on this island now is directly from the Government of Liberia,” Amb. Onanuga said.
He added:
“It couldn’t have been done without the intervention of the President, who has said this is a key portion of his ARREST Agenda. You can see that he is prepared to see it through.”
Amb. Onanuga explained that activities are currently at the mobilization stage, with priority areas of the island being prepared as implementation of the project begins.
The Director General of the Liberia National Tourism Authority, Princess Eva Cooper, described the occasion as an important moment for Liberians who have long hoped to see Providence Island properly preserved and developed.
“Mr. President, thank you so much for being here today to break ground at this historic landmark in Liberia,” Director General Cooper said. “This project means a lot to many Liberians who want to see this island develop.”
She praised President Boakai for taking the political and financial decision to advance the project and said its significance extends beyond the current generation.
“Thank you for being the President to take on that mantle and make this a success story for Liberians and for unborn generations,” she said.
The Providence Island project is being implemented as a design-and-build development, allowing the technical design and construction processes to advance as an integrated project. Conceptual designs associated with the development provide the vision for the site, while detailed technical considerations will continue to guide implementation, particularly in relation to the preservation of the island’s historical character and artifacts.
For the Liberia National Tourism Authority, the project forms part of a broader strategy to move Liberia from simply identifying and promoting tourism potential toward developing market-ready tourism products and destinations capable of contributing to employment, entrepreneurship, investment, cultural preservation and national economic diversification.
Providence Island is expected to become a flagship heritage destination and an important component of Liberia’s destination brand, creating opportunities to tell the country’s story to both domestic and international audiences.
The groundbreaking also underscores the Government’s growing recognition of tourism as an economic sector capable of supporting local enterprise, attracting investment and creating new opportunities while protecting Liberia’s cultural and historical heritage.
With President Boakai formally launching the development, Providence Island now stands at the center of what the Government and the Liberia National Tourism Authority envision as a new era of heritage preservation and destination development.
As President Boakai declared at the historic site:
“Today, we are here to break that ground at this very historic Providence Island.”
The ceremony marks not merely the commencement of physical development, but a renewed national commitment to preserving Liberia’s history, transforming its heritage assets and ensuring that the story of Providence Island is known to the world.
Food Authority of Liberia Launches 2026-2030 Strategic Plan with European Union Support
Monrovia –The Food Authority of Liberia (FAL) has officially launched its 2026-2030 Strategic Plan, marking a significant milestone in the country’s efforts to strengthen food safety, protect public health and build a safer, more resilient food system. The strategic plan was developed with support from the European Union-funded Liberian Food Safety Initiative (LiFSI), implemented by the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO).