The Government of Liberia, through the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning (MFDP), is set to launch a nationwide fiscal decentralization and county treasury reform exercise aimed at strengthening public financial management, improving service delivery, and deepening local governance reforms across the country.
The weeklong engagement, scheduled for May 18-22, 2026, will be implemented through the Fiscal Decentralization Unit (FDU) under the Department of Fiscal Affairs and will cover Rivercess, Grand Bassa, Margibi, Bong, and Nimba Counties.
According to an MFDP release, the exercise will focus on fiscal decentralization, budget disaggregation, implementation of the 2026 Fiscal Rules, county treasury operations, and expenditure accountability mechanisms as part of the Government's broader decentralization agenda.
The Ministry said the initiative forms part of efforts to transition government financial operations from Monrovia to the counties, in line with President Joseph Nyuma Boakai's decentralization policy and the ARREST Agenda for Inclusive Development (AAID).
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Under the engagement schedule, Deputy Minister for Budget and Development Planning Tenneh G. Brunson will officially launch the exercise in Rivercess County on Monday, May 18.
The assessment team will subsequently move to Grand Bassa on Tuesday, May 19; Margibi on Wednesday, May 20; Bong on Thursday, May 21; and Nimba on Friday, May 22.
The county sector meetings will be chaired by county superintendents and will bring together representatives of Ministries, Agencies and Commissions (MACs), treasury officers, fiscal authorities, and local government stakeholders.
Speaking on the initiative, Fiscal Decentralization Unit Director Dr. Romeo D.N. Gbartea emphasized that all government spending entities operating in the counties must increasingly function through the county treasury framework in compliance with Liberia's Revenue Sharing Law and Regulations.
"Spending entities should operate through the county treasury framework in keeping with the Revenue Sharing Law and Regulations," Dr. Gbartea stated.
He further disclosed that President Joseph Nyuma Boakai has directed that government services and financial operations be increasingly implemented at the local level as part of efforts to strengthen accountability and improve service delivery across Liberia.
The Ministry said fiscal decentralization remains a major pillar of both the ARREST Agenda for Inclusive Development and the County Development Agenda (CDA), which seek to expand local participation in governance and ensure more transparent management of public resources.
Finance and Development Planning Minister Augustine Kpehe Ngafuan noted that the reforms are aligned with President Boakai's decentralization policy announced during the July 4, 2024, meeting of the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Decentralization (IMCD).
Additionally, Deputy Minister for Fiscal Affairs Anthony G. Myers and Comptroller and Accountant General Elwood Nettey announced plans to establish six additional county treasury offices in Sinoe, Grand Kru, Maryland, Grand Gedeh, Lofa, and Bomi Counties.
According to the officials, the expansion of county treasury structures is intended to strengthen transparency, accountability, and efficiency within local government financial administration systems.
The county treasury framework serves as a centralized platform for budgetary allotments, expenditure management, and fiscal administration processes at the county level.
The MFDP disclosed that fiscal deconcentration has already commenced in Grand Bassa, Bong, Nimba, and Margibi Counties, where county treasuries are currently processing allotments, budgeting, and financial transactions for spending agencies operating within those jurisdictions.
Under the 2026 Fiscal Rules, the Ministry has mandated that all spending entities operating within these counties must conduct allotments and expenditure transactions through the county treasury system.
The Ministry further clarified the implementation framework in a policy statement released ahead of the engagement exercise.
"All spending entities in the counties or local government administrations shall process allotments, financial budgeting, and other fiscal processes through the county treasury frameworks," the Ministry stated.
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"This fiscal deconcentration begins with Grand Bassa, Bong, Nimba, and Margibi Counties. To clearly identify transaction locations and county codes and institutionalize budget disaggregation, implementation shall be carried out across all ministries, agencies, and spending entities within these local governments."
The Ministry added that treasury officers operating within the counties are expected to process transactions efficiently in order to reduce dependence on centralized fiscal processes in Monrovia.
"This financial reform supports the Local Government Act, Revenue Sharing Law and Regulations, as well as the County Treasury Financial and Operational Manual," the statement added.
Officials say the county engagement exercise is expected to improve accountability, enhance local participation in fiscal governance, and ensure stricter compliance with Liberia's Public Financial Management Law as the Government accelerates nationwide decentralization reforms.
