Deputy Finance Minister Urges Media Scrutiny of County Budgets

BUCHANAN — Deputy Finance Minister for Fiscal Affairs Anthony G. Myers has urged Liberian journalists to move beyond Monrovia-centered reporting and increase scrutiny of county budgets, public contracts, development projects and service delivery across the country's 15 counties. Myers said the concentration of media coverage in Monrovia risks leaving rural communities without adequate information about government policies, public spending and development activities that directly affect them. He spoke Thursday at the opening of a three-day training program on "Strengthening Community Radio Journalism for Effective Reporting on Fiscal Decentralization in Liberia" in Buchanan, Grand Bassa County. The training was organized by the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning (MFDP) in collaboration with the Ministry of Local Government. Keep up with the latest headlines on WhatsApp | LinkedIn Myers said Liberia's longstanding concentration of government institutions and activities in Monrovia has also influenced media coverage, contributing to an information gap between the capital and rural communities. According to him, residents of Monrovia generally have greater access to information about government, political parties and national affairs than many citizens living in rural areas. He said the government's decentralization program provides an opportunity to narrow both the information and development gaps by bringing public resources and decision-making closer to citizens. "Decentralization provides an opportunity to bridge the information and development gap by taking government resources and decision-making closer to citizens," Myers said. He said successful decentralization would also require stronger collaboration between community and national media institutions to ensure that issues affecting remote communities receive national attention. Myers encouraged journalists to closely follow county-level budgets and public expenditures and examine whether development projects and services promised to communities are being delivered. Also speaking, Press Union of Liberia President Julius Kanubah said community radio stations have a critical role in connecting national fiscal policies with the everyday experiences of citizens in rural communities. He described community radio as more than a means of communication, saying it serves as a bridge between national fiscal policies and local realities. Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox By submitting above, you agree to our privacy policy . We need to confirm your email address. To complete the process, please follow the instructions in the email we just sent you. There was a problem processing your submission. Please try again later. Kanubah, however, identified limited capacity to interpret fiscal information, inadequate investigative journalism training, poor equipment, weak internet connectivity, financial constraints and political pressure as major challenges confronting community media institutions. For his part, Deputy Information Minister for Technical Services Nat Bayjay said journalists need specialized skills to effectively report on the government's fiscal decentralization program. Bayjay, who represented Information Minister Jerolinmek Matthew Piah, also urged journalists to shift attention from Monrovia and increase coverage of local government institutions and fiscal activities. He specifically called for greater media scrutiny of mechanisms including the County Treasury Framework and County Development Agenda. Bayjay said journalists should also simplify complex budget and financial information to enable ordinary citizens to understand how public resources are being allocated and spent. He urged reporters to "humanize the budget" by examining how decentralized government funding translates into tangible services, including clinics, schools, roads and other development projects in communities. The officials maintained that stronger county