By: Stephen N. Sonpon
Naymote Partners for Democracy and Development has revealed a new policy brief that the Liberian government’s flagship ARREST Agenda for Inclusive Development faces critical implementation gaps under its governance and anti-corruption component—Pillar Four—with continued service unavailability at the county level, persistent manual systems, and slow digital adoption undermining reform progress.
The 2025 Policy Brief on Governance and Anti-Corruption, launched Friday, October 10, in Monrovia, paints a mixed picture of early-stage reform efforts, warning that limited institutional capacity could erode public trust and slow Liberia’s transition toward transformative governance.
Presenting the findings, Naymote’s Executive Director, Eddie D. Jarwolo, said the ARREST Agenda for Inclusive Development (AAID) 2025–2029 sets a bold path for Liberia to achieve inclusive growth, improved governance, and better service delivery.
“Pillar Four: Governance and Anti-Corruption is critical, aiming to strengthen institutions, reduce corruption, and decentralize public services,” he said.
The policy brief assessed 58 interventions across seven program areas and audited County Service Centers (CSCs) in Margibi, Bong, and Grand Bassa Counties. Jarwolo said the review found notable progress—such as biometric ID enrollment, pilot e-procurement systems, and new decentralization laws—but warned that “significant challenges remain, including service unavailability at the county level, persistent manual processes, slow digital adoption, and limited institutional capacity, which collectively hinder the pace and effectiveness of reforms.”
The brief cautioned that if these weaknesses persist, Liberia risks deepening administrative bottlenecks, limiting equitable access to public services, and weakening citizen trust in governance.
Jarwolo said decentralization, digital transformation, and citizen-focused governance must become “essential levers for achieving meaningful impact.”
He added that “effective implementation of these measures will enable Liberia to transition from early-stage compliance to transformative governance, ensuring services are transparent, accountable, and accessible to all citizens.”
Naymote urged the government to fast-track high-impact reforms, including decentralized biometric ID issuance and nationwide adoption of e-procurement systems. The organization also called for the establishment of a unified digital governance backbone and an inter-agency task force to ensure policy coherence.
Jarwolo emphasized the need to integrate citizen feedback and results-based metrics into monitoring systems and to strengthen county-level service delivery through delegated authority, capacity building, and performance monitoring.
“The test of governance is not in policies written on paper, but in the lived experiences of citizens,” Jarwolo said. “This brief seeks to keep the focus where it belongs: on the people.”
The report highlighted early achievements under Pillar Four. According to Naymote, the National Identification Registry (NIR) enrolled about 104,000 citizens in 2024 and an additional 67,000 during the first half of 2025, bringing total enrollment to roughly 710,000—about 14 percent of the population.
“This forms the foundational step for digital governance,” Jarwolo said. “Yet coverage must accelerate significantly to achieve national reach by 2029.”
On e-procurement, Naymote reported that the Public Procurement Commission (PPC) piloted digital procurement in six ministries, trained more than 500 practitioners, and launched online tender publications. “While this is a positive step toward transparency, full government-wide adoption remains pending,” Jarwolo noted.
In the area of anti-corruption, the Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission (LACC) investigated 24 cases in 2024, resulting in three convictions, while the Office of the Ombudsman was fully established and funded.
Under decentralization, the brief cited the passage of the Ministry of Local Government Act by the Senate and the completion of County Development Agendas for all 15 counties. It also acknowledged Liberia’s diplomatic efforts, including the launch of a Diaspora Engagement Task Force and a pilot e-Visa system, as steps toward modernized governance.
Persistent Constraints Threaten Reform Pace
Despite these gains, Naymote identified major constraints that threaten the pace and quality of reforms.
“Sixty point seven percent of core services at County Service Centers remain unavailable, 85.7 percent still rely on manual processes, and institutions tasked with fighting corruption face underfunding and limited enforcement capacity,” Jarwolo said.
The brief warned that centralized biometric printing, fragmented e-procurement systems, overlapping mandates, and chronic underfunding continue to slow progress. “The persistence of manual processes stifles transparency and operational efficiency,” it stated.
Jarwolo stressed that without urgent, integrated interventions to enhance digital infrastructure, decentralize authority, and strengthen institutional capacity, Pillar Four will fall short of delivering the transparent and accountable governance Liberia needs.
Government, Partners React to Findings
A representative from the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning (MFDP) said the government has made progress in budgetary appropriations to key integrity institutions, including the LACC, General Auditing Commission (GAC), and Internal Audit Agency (IAA), underscoring the administration’s commitment to the ARREST Agenda.
A representative from the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection (MoGCSP) commended Naymote for its continued collaboration and advocacy to ensure government delivers on its promises.
Development partners, including the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and embassies of Ireland, Sweden, and the European Union, described Naymote as a “major partner for national development” and reaffirmed their commitment to support evidence-based governance reforms.
Jarwolo concluded that sustained political will, institutional reform, and digital integration are key to moving Liberia from “early-stage compliance to transformative governance” under the ARREST Agenda.
“Liberia’s governance transformation depends not only on ambitious plans but on implementation that improves the daily realities of its citizens,” he said.
