Local Government Ministry To Host High-Level Dialogue On Decentralization

The Ministry of Local Government, in collaboration with the Governance Commission, is set to convene a two-day High-Level Policy Dialogue on Local Governance and Decentralization from Wednesday to Thursday, August 26–27, 2026, at the JNB Conference Hall of the Ministry of Local Government in Monrovia.

The high-level meeting is expected to bring together heads of key Ministries, Agencies and Commissions (MACs), as well as County Superintendents and County Service Center Coordinators from Liberia’s 15 counties.

The dialogue is aimed at accelerating the devolution of administrative, political and fiscal powers as mandated under the Local Government Act of 2018.

Organizers say the initiative is intended to strengthen local governance and improve access to government services for citizens across the country.

The establishment of the Ministry of Local Government in September 2025, succeeding the former Ministry of Internal Affairs, was described as a major step in Liberia’s ongoing governance reform.

 The new ministry was created with a specific mandate to lead the country’s decentralization agenda.

As part of the decentralization process, County Service Centers have been established across all 15 counties to provide citizens with access to services such as documentation, permits, licenses and certificates without necessarily traveling to Monrovia.

However, despite the establishment of the County Service Centers, several operational challenges continue to affect their effectiveness.

One of the major concerns is the continued centralization of approvals in Monrovia, with many local offices of national government institutions still depending on central authorities to approve routine transactions.

The Ministry said the continued dependence on central approval has undermined the objectives of decentralization and contributed to delays and additional costs for citizens seeking government services.

The upcoming policy dialogue will therefore seek to build consensus among heads of government institutions on the legal and administrative requirements for transferring powers to local authorities.

 It will also examine the barriers preventing various institutions from devolving responsibilities to the county level.

The meeting has been prompted by President Joseph Nyuma Boakai’s July 4, 2025 directive on the devolution of government functions.

Among the expected outcomes is a time-bound Devolution Action Plan identifying specific authorities, including license approvals, official sign-offs and revenue processes, that can be transferred to county representatives and establishing timelines for implementation.

The participating institutions will include agencies responsible for revenue and economic services, infrastructure and land, social services and environmental protection.

These include the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning, Liberia Revenue Authority, Ministry of Transport, National Transport Authority, Ministry of Lands and Mines, Ministry of Public Works, Liberia Land Authority, Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications, Ministry of Foreign Affairs,

Others are the Ministry of Health, Environmental Protection Agency, Food and Drug Administration, Ministry of Gender and Social Protection, and the Center for National Documents and Records Agency, among others.

The dialogue is expected to produce a standardized Devolution Action Plan outlining timelines, technical requirements and training needs associated with the transfer of specific government functions.

Officials also expect the meeting to identify immediate measures that could reduce transaction costs for citizens once local authorities receive the necessary powers to approve services at the county level.

Another anticipated outcome is the signing of an Inter-Ministerial Devolution Resolution, through which participating government institutions would commit to transferring specific authorities to County Service Centers under county government leadership within an agreed timeframe.

The event is also expected to formally launch a High-Level Inter-Ministerial Committee on decentralization, with the Vice President of Liberia expected to officiate the launch.

 The committee will be tasked with monitoring implementation, addressing challenges and strengthening coordination among government institutions.

The first day of the dialogue will focus on technical presentations concerning the Local Government Act of 2018 and existing bottlenecks affecting decentralization.

This will be followed by agency-specific breakout sessions to identify functions that can be devolved and the technical and administrative requirements needed for their transfer.

The second day will conclude with an executive plenary session during which heads of participating Ministries, Agencies and Commissions are expected to finalize and sign the Joint Devolution Resolution and implementation matrix.

The Ministry of Local Government says the dialogue represents an important step toward strengthening local governance, improving public service delivery and ensuring that government authority and services are brought closer to citizens across Liberia’s counties.