Liberia: Not Govt Financial Records Burnt - Finance Ministry Provides Clarity After Fire Incident On Third Floor

26 October 2023
FrontPageAfrica (Monrovia)
By J.H. Webster Clayeh

Monrovia — The Ministry of Finance Development and Planning (MFDP) has disclosed that all of its documents are intact after a fire gutted the Ministry's Public Financial Management Unit Department.

"We also wish to inform the public that Central Government financial records were not affected by the fire outbreak," communication from the Ministry of Finance stated.

It adds: "The Liberia National Fire Service has collected relevant information and is investigating the cause of the fire. The outcome of the Fire Service investigation and report will be made public, including the extent of the damages to the section of the third floor."

During the early morning hours of Wednesday, October 25, 2023, a fire gutted one of the offices on the third floor of the Ministry of Finance. The Liberia National Fire Service, with the help of Ministry of Finance workers, successfully extinguished the fire, with no loss of lives or injuries.

While the investigation is ongoing as to what caused the fire outbreak, the Ministry of Finance assures its staff, the business community, taxpayers, and the public that regular operations have resumed.

"The Ministry also thanks the National Fire Service and its staff for their gallantry in extinguishing this fire and saving a critical national asset," it ended.

Minutes after the fire incident, Amara Konneh, former Minister of Finance Development and Planning (MFDP), criticized the authority at the Finance Ministry for the fire outbreak at the Ministry, adding that there had been little attention shown to the country's fiscal house since the inception of the George Weah-led government six years ago.

Despite no loss of lives and financial records being intact, former Finance Minister Konneh said the fire at the MFDP building is something that is "concerning."

According to him, since 2018, the administration of MFDP has paid very little attention to our Fiscal House. "The environment there doesn't look good by health and safety standards. The walls are untidy, there are broken doors, exposed electrical wires, and even the handling of trash in the stairways is not being done properly. I'm not sure they frequently conduct fire drills as we did."

He calls on the National Fire Service to go beyond working with the MFDP to protect other parts of the building.

He added: "The Public Financial Management Unit (PFMU) is where all donor-financed project documents are processed, and it should be one of the safest places, but this incident only shows no duty of care for the Fiscal House and its employees by the Minister and his senior team."

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