A local IT consulting firm, Kwagei Group of Companies, has demonstrated the growing capacity of Liberian technology innovators with the successful development and launch of the Project Financial Management Unit (PFMU) Electronic Payment Submission Portal at the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning (MFDP).
The platform, officially unveiled at Cape Hotel in Mamba Point, Monrovia, on Friday, January 16, is set to transform how government Project Implementation Units (PIUs) submit, track, and manage donor-funded project payments.
The portal also addresses logistical challenges, such as limited storage space at PFMU offices, where paper files previously occupied entire rooms, making retrieval slow and cumbersome. With digital submissions, all documents are stored securely online, reducing physical storage needs and minimizing the risk of loss.
The launch represents a milestone in Liberia's ongoing digital transformation of public financial management and underscores the ability of homegrown tech talent to deliver solutions on par with international standards.
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Kwagei Group Founder and CEO, Mr. Kpetermeni T. Siakor, described the initiative as a landmark achievement for donor-funded project management in Liberia.
"This portal marks a major advancement in modernizing financial management for donor-funded projects and enhancing overall service delivery," Siakor said. "It aligns with a broader digital transformation strategy focused on increasing transparency, improving efficiency, and reducing reliance on paper-based systems that are prone to errors and natural disasters."
Siakor disclosed that the portal is built on Kwagei's proprietary technology product, Leeneh, a platform designed to help organizations automate processes and achieve full digital transformation. "Leeneh supports enterprise resource planning, workflow management, accounting and financial systems, document management, asset tracking, project management, and more," he explained.
"This is more than a portal; it is a tool for reform," said Siakor. "By digitizing payment processes, we reduce inefficiency, strengthen oversight, and pave the way for Liberia's financial governance to meet international standards. We are proud to be part of this journey and to support Liberia in building a more transparent, accountable, and efficient government."
He stressed that the platform was jointly designed with PFMU to mirror existing workflows. "We worked closely with the PFMU to understand their processes.
This was customized specifically for Liberia's needs," Siakor said. "If we succeed with this, I'm sure many institutions will want similar solutions. This is just the beginning. Kwagei Group is committed to supporting Liberia's digital transformation journey, demonstrating that local innovators can deliver world-class solutions for our nation's governance and development challenges."
Providing an overview of the platform earlier, PFMU Director at the Ministry of Finance, Mr. Papin Daniels, described the portal as a critical response to years of operational and audit-related challenges faced by the government.
"The PFMU provides centralized financial management services for about 90 percent of all donor-funded projects in Liberia," Daniels said. "You can imagine the volume of documents we process annually. Over time, this created serious challenges in document management, archiving, and retrieval."
Daniels recalled that these challenges were compounded by a devastating fire that gutted the PFMU offices in October 2023, destroying or damaging large volumes of financial records.
"I can still remember the date, October 23, 2023. Most of these documents got burnt or damaged," he noted. "Yet PFMU is the repository institutions look to when audits are conducted. If we cannot produce documents on time, donors declare those expenditures ineligible, and that becomes a government liability."
According to Daniels, repeated audit findings citing poor filing systems and inadequate documentation exposed Liberia to financial risks, including post-project liabilities years after project completion. "That is why we said the only way forward is to digitize the process and move away from paper," he emphasized.
The electronic portal allows PIUs to submit payment requests entirely online by scanning and uploading required documents directly to the PFMU system. Once submitted, requests are received instantly, reviewed for compliance, and tracked in real time through every stage of processing.
"With this system, once you upload a payment request, you get instant notification that it has been received and is being processed," Daniels explained. "You don't need to call anyone. You can log in and see exactly where your request is and what stage it has reached."
He added that the system is designed to reject incomplete submissions automatically. "If the required documents are not attached, you simply cannot submit the request. That alone will improve compliance and reduce back-and-forth delays," he said.
Previously, Daniels noted, the full processing cycle for a payment request took an average of six working days due largely to physical document handling. The new system, he said, will significantly reduce processing time while improving transparency.
Also speaking, Ms. Aleda T. Teah, Deputy Controller and Accountant General for Technical Services Unit at MFDP, described the portal as "a great step towards accountability in public financial management. We want to thank PFMU and Kwagei Group for this initiative, which we believe will significantly reduce processing times and improve efficiency."
Senior Compliance Analyst Wonneh Lowen added, "This portal will help us reduce paperwork and ensure smoother operations. We are excited to move fully into a digital system for project management and financial oversight."
Kpambu Pelima-Turay, Director of the Aid Management Coordination Unit, noted the portal's potential to reduce bottlenecks in processing payments. "This platform allows us to stay updated on every stage of project implementation, which is crucial for timely oversight and donor compliance," he said.
Robertha D. James, Desk Analyst for AfDB Projects at the Ministry of Finance, said, "Leaving paperwork behind and going digital is a major milestone. This portal addresses long-standing complaints about delays and inefficiencies at PFMU, allowing PIUs to monitor payment requests and document submissions in real-time."
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During the launch, Kwagei Group conducted a live demonstration of the portal, showcasing how PIUs can create, submit, and track payment requests. The platform includes two-factor authentication for security, automated notifications, and digital storage of all submitted documents.
A representative of the PIUs expressed appreciation and suggested the creation of a brief user manual to assist new staff members and provide refresher training as needed. "This portal is already making a real difference in how we work with PFMU. It brings our operations into the digital era, and we are committed to fully utilizing it," the representative said.
The launch of the PFMU Electronic Payment Submission Portal highlights the potential of local tech firms to drive innovation in Liberia's public sector. By digitizing payment requests, tracking, and audit processes, the portal reduces administrative burdens, accelerates processing times, and strengthens transparency and accountability in government projects.
The ceremony was attended by PIU representatives from the Liberia Institute of Statistics and Geo-Information Services (LISGIS), the Ministries of Commerce, Public Works, Health, Youth and Sports, the National Fisheries and Aquaculture Authority (NaFAA), the National Investment Commission (NIC), the National Transit Authority (NTA), and several other ministries, agencies, and commissions, among others.
