Monrovia – InfoQuest Liberia has officially launched its First Quarter Report under its Gender-Sensitive Legislative Monitoring Project, detailing findings from legislative activities in the House of Representatives between January and March 2025.

By: Julius Konton, Contributing Writer

According to Matthias Yeanay, Executive Director of InfoQuest Liberia, the report marks a significant milestone in the organization’s ongoing efforts to promote inclusive governance and legislative accountability.

The report highlights that women remain significantly underrepresented in Liberia’s Legislature—not only in numbers but also in voice and influence. However, it praises women-led civil society organizations for demonstrating strong and visible advocacy, particularly during public hearings on environmental justice and public accountability.

As part of the monitoring process, InfoQuest conducted gender analyses of six key legislative proposals currently under consideration. While some bills reflect a growing awareness of inclusion, Yeanay said, others reveal critical gaps and, in some cases, pose direct threats to the rights of marginalized groups, including women and persons with disabilities (PWDs).

Key Legislative Bills Reviewed

Among the bills analyzed are an Act to Establish the Liberia Institute of Sign Language. This bill seeks to create a dedicated institution for sign language education to serve persons with hearing disabilities. However, InfoQuest flagged concerns about the lack of integration with existing educational systems, which ignores the intersection of gender and disability.

The organization recommends integrating the institute within an existing tertiary institution such as the University of Liberia to promote inclusivity, recognition, and access—especially for girls and women with hearing impairments.

The Establishment of the Ministry of Local Government

Aimed at operationalizing the 2018 Local Government Act, the bill includes gender mainstreaming language but lacks an implementation or accountability framework.

InfoQuest calls for the inclusion of gender equity audits, maternity leave policies, and the enforcement of non-discriminatory hiring and promotion practices. The group also encourages scholarships for female students, safe housing, and gender-sensitive governance structures.

Additionally, InfoQuest is urging lawmakers to prioritize meaningful reforms, including the establishment of a salary cap for elected and appointed officials to promote fairness and accountability in public resource management, and ennsure all legislative proposals include gender-responsive measures to avoid leaving any demographic group behind.

Overcoming Challenges

Despite persistent challenges, such as restricted access to committee sessions and political tensions within the Legislature, InfoQuest remained resilient through adaptive strategies and collaborative engagement. Yeanay reaffirmed the organization’s commitment to evidence-based, inclusive legislative monitoring.

He extended appreciation to the Embassy of Ireland in Liberia for its unwavering support:

“Your partnership has been instrumental in advancing this critical work,” Yeanay said.

He emphasized that inclusive governance is not a distant goal but a necessary foundation for Liberia’s democratic growth and sustainable peace.

“We call on government institutions, civil society, development partners, and citizens to stand with us in building a more just, equal, and inclusive Liberia,” he urged.

Looking Ahead

During the reporting period, InfoQuest formalized partnerships with key actors in the National Legislature, including the Office of the Speaker and relevant committee chairs. The monitoring was carried out by a well-trained, gender-balanced team who gained access to plenary sessions and tracked participation, representation, and gender dynamics in real time.

Yeanay also announced the completion of a digital platform, scheduled for launch in June 2025.

“This platform will offer real-time tracking of legislative processes, bill analyses, and gender-disaggregated data for civil society, policymakers, and the public,” he said.

With generous support from the Embassy of Ireland, InfoQuest continues to champion gender-sensitive legislative monitoring in pursuit of a more inclusive Liberian democracy.

Monrovia – InfoQuest Liberia has officially launched its Third Quarter Report on the Gender-Sensitive Legislative Monitoring Project, highlighting major findings and recommendations aimed at advancing inclusive governance and legislative accountability in Liberia.

By: Julius Konton

The comprehensive report covers activities within the House of Representatives from January to March 2025, with a particular focus on gender representation and the inclusivity of legislative processes.

Speaking during the launch, Matthias Yeanay, Executive Director of InfoQuest Liberia, said the report marks a significant milestone in the organization’s continued efforts to promote a more inclusive, accountable, and equitable legislative environment.

Among the report’s key findings, InfoQuest emphasized the continued underrepresentation of women in the Legislature—not only in numbers but also in terms of voice and influence. Despite these challenges, Yeanay noted that women-led civil society organizations have shown strong and visible advocacy, especially during public hearings related to environmental justice and public accountability.

Gender Analysis of Legislative Proposals

As part of its monitoring efforts, InfoQuest conducted a gender analysis of six key legislative proposals currently under consideration. While some bills reflected growing awareness of inclusion, others revealed critical gaps and, in some cases, posed direct threats to the rights of marginalized groups, particularly women and persons with disabilities (PWDs).

One such proposal was the Act to Establish the Liberia Institute of Sign Language, aimed at creating a dedicated institution for sign language education to meet the needs of individuals with hearing impairments. However, the report flagged the bill’s lack of integration with the existing education system and failure to account for the intersection of gender and disability.

To address this, InfoQuest recommended that the proposed institute be integrated within an existing tertiary institution such as the University of Liberia, to enhance inclusivity, recognition, and access, particularly for girls and women with hearing impairments.

Other Key Legislative Developments

The report also analyzed the proposed establishment of a Ministry of Local Government, intended to operationalize decentralization efforts under the 2018 Local Government Act. While the bill includes some gender mainstreaming elements, InfoQuest noted the absence of a clear implementation or accountability framework for gender equity.

The organization recommended several gender-responsive measures, including:

• Inclusion of gender equity in university charters
• Promotion of scholarships for female students
• Provision of safe housing
• Adoption of gender-sensitive hiring and governance structures
• Enforcement of maternity leave policies
• Conduct of gender equity audits
• Implementation of non-discriminatory hiring and promotion practices

Additionally, InfoQuest called on lawmakers to prioritize meaningful reforms such as the establishment of a salary cap for elected and appointed officials to promote equity and accountability in the use of public resources.

The organization also urged that all legislative proposals include gender-responsive measures to ensure no demographic group is left behind.

Challenges and Achievements

Despite facing ongoing challenges, including restricted access to committee sessions and political tensions within the Legislature, InfoQuest said it has remained resilient. Yeanay noted that through adaptive strategies and collaborative engagement, the organization continues to promote inclusive, evidence-based legislative monitoring.

He expressed appreciation to the Embassy of Ireland in Liberia for its unwavering support and commitment to gender equity and democratic governance.

“Your partnership has been instrumental in advancing this critical work,” Yeanay stated.

Reaffirming InfoQuest’s commitment to inclusive governance, he added:
“Inclusive governance is not a distant goal—it is a necessary foundation for Liberia’s democratic growth and sustainable peace. We call on government institutions, civil society, development partners, and citizens to stand with us in building a more just, equal, and inclusive Liberia.”

Monitoring Process and Future Plans

During the reporting period, InfoQuest formalized partnerships with key actors in the National Legislature, including the Office of the Speaker and relevant committee chairpersons. Monitoring was conducted by a trained, gender-balanced team, who gained access to plenary sessions to track participation, representation, and gender dynamics in real time.

Yeanay also announced the upcoming launch of a digital platform in June 2025, which will provide real-time tracking of legislative processes, bill analysis, and gender-disaggregated data for use by civil society, policymakers, and the public.

“While our findings highlight persistent challenges, this platform represents a major step forward in our efforts to build transparency and accountability in Liberia’s legislative process,” Yeanay concluded.

The Institute for Democratic Action and Development and InfoQuest Liberia on Wednesday commenced day one of a two-day intensive training on legislative monitoring and Advocacy.

By: Julius Konton, contributing writer

The two days training came following the signing of a five-year Memorandum of Understanding Between the two entities intended to enhance legislative governance and accountability.

Speaking at the opening of the training, the Executive Director of IDAD Joseph Cheayan said as a key sector of the Government, monitoring and tracking the works and activities of the Legislature to ensure transparency and accountability in the governance process is essential.

Among other things, he wants a more responsive and accountable legislature in the interests of the Liberian people.

“We are working to close the gap left behind by other civil society organizations “, he re-emphasized.

Also speaking at the opening ceremony was the Executive Director of InfoQuest Liberia Matthias Yeanay who challenged the participants to make maximum use of the training opportunity to effectively execute the project.

He commended his partner, IDAD for the continued collaboration and reassured InfoQuest’s commitment to the process.

Yeanay stressed that accountability and transparency in any democratic space are important to the developmental growth process.

The ongoing training which brought together staff of the two institutions to serve as monitors under the project is now benefiting from the two days capacity development initiative.

Meanwhile, the training will also capture the functions, workings, and activities of the Legislature, reporting as well as tracking and tracking respectively.

MONROVIA — Mr. Matthias Yeanay, executive director of InfoQuest Liberia, a not-for-profit Think – Tank and social impact organization that promotes participatory Governance and social transformation, has expressed dissatisfaction over the Judiciary branch of Government for not declaring their assets in keeping with the new Liberia Anti-Corruption Act of 2022. 

By Francis G. Boayue

Mr. Yeanay, speaking at a news conference on Tuesday, July 16, 2024, said he was shocked to have heard that only two hundred two officials of the government have so far declared their assets, with no member from the Judiciary, following a successful partnership meeting with the Liberia Anti-corruption Commission, something he described as inappropriate. 

“The number which represents those from the Executive and Legislative branches of government is not encouraging and as such, we call on duty bearers to do the needful”, he said.

According to him, as a key branch of government like the Judiciary, it is imperative that it sets good examples and abide by the rule of law, as they continue to interpret the laws of the country, and one of the best ways to do so is to declare their assets.

 “We are surprised that key officials of the Judiciary are yet to comply with the said instrument”, he added.

Mr. Yeanay told reporters that under the obligation to file an asset declaration statement, The LACC shall issue assets declaration forms that shall be completed, signed, notarized, and filed following Section 10.1 and 10.2(h) of the National Code of Conduct by all persons occupying the following positions under the Judiciary.

He stated further that there are five categories or groups of people under the Judiciary who are yet to comply with the declaration of their assets, including the chief justice and associate justice of the Supreme Court, judges of circuit courts, and circuits – level specialized courts. 

Others are stipendiary and associate magistrates, clerk of the Supreme Court, Circuit-level specialized courts and court administrators, comptroller, procurement officers, developmental directors, and project managers respectively. 

According to the “Regulations for the Administration, monitoring, receiving and Implementation of the Asset Declaration per the National Code of Conduct for all public officials and employees of the Government of the Republic of Liberia” the Judiciary is under obligation to file an assets Declaration statement. Still, none of them complied, “This is troubling and worrisome”, he reechoed.

At the same time, the head of InfoQuest Liberia used the occasion to call on President Joseph Nyuma Boakai to take drastic action against appointed officials of government who have failed to declare their assets but have begun work already. 

The Unity Party-led government, he said, has come to power under the mantra of fighting corruption and being accountable and transparent to its people and as such they should live by their slogan “No Business as Usual”. 

“InfoQuest thinks the “R” in the Arrest Agenda that stands for the RULE OF LAW is being hijacked as such, The Judiciary, the legislature, and Executive must act to protect and uphold the Rule of Law”, Matthias maintained.

“We remain resolved and will continue our advocacy until the needful is done in the interest of the people and the state”, the Civil Society group through its Executive Director lamented. 

It can be recalled that InfoQuest Liberia, through its boss, challenged President Boakai to declare and publish his assets. Following consistent advocacy, the Liberian leader subsequently did the needful, something Mr. Yeanay assured the public that they would do for the betterment of the society.