Liberia Government: Fiscal Decentralization Law Implementation Lags

The Government of Liberia, through Deputy Finance Minister for Fiscal Affairs Anthony G. Myers, admitted on Thursday, September 10, that its fiscal decentralization framework, despite existing legal and policy provisions, remains largely unimplemented across the country's 15 counties. This significant admission was made during a fiscal decentralization training workshop for journalists in Buchanan, Grand Bassa County. Myers acknowledged that while the government has established foundational legal and administrative frameworks, including the Local Government Act of 2018 and the Revenue Sharing Law of 2022, limited progress has been made in translating these provisions into tangible outcomes. He explicitly stated that "not much have been delivered on any of these fiscal decentralization provisions of the law," highlighting the critical gap between legislative intent and practical execution, particularly concerning the fourth pillar of decentralization: financial authority.