Press Release

CENTAL, WONGOSOL, Present Findings of a Research on Local Governance and Service Delivery in Liberia

Monrovia, December 8, 2025 – The Center for Transparency and Accountability in Liberia (CENTAL) in partnership with the Women NGO Secretariat of Liberia (WONGOSOL), with support from the UN Women Liberia, on Friday, December 5, 2025, presented findings of a research report on assessing local governance and service delivery in Liberia.

The research, conducted in four (4) counties in November 2025, offers a comprehensive analysis of citizens’ perceptions of local governance, service delivery, and participatory development in Liberia. The report, amongst others, seeks to shape policy discussions and mobilize collective efforts for governance reform and accountability, in line with the government of Liberia’s national development agenda—the ARREST Agenda for Inclusive Development—and UN Women’s priority of promoting inclusive, transparent, and gender-responsive governance. 

In his remarks during the official launch of the report in Monrovia, Hon. Emmanuel Wheinyue, Assistant Minister for Research and Development Planning at the Ministry of Local Government, formerly the Ministry of Internal Affairs, described the report as a critical tool for increased policy intervention to improve service delivery across Liberia. On behalf of the ministry, he committed to using findings of the report as tools for policy intervention aimed at promoting inclusive, accountable, and impactful public service delivery, especially at the local level.

Conducted in November 2025 through a structured Kobo Collect questionnaire administered by trained volunteers and researchers, the research engaged 385 respondents, comprising 183 females (or 48 percent) and 202 males (or 52 percent), across diverse demographic and social categories. A majority of respondents, 54 percent, were youth under the age of 35, with private citizens, youth groups, and women’s groups forming the largest categories.

Presenting a summary of the report findings, CENTAL’s Project Lead, C. Rogget Chea, highlighted a persistent gap between the promise of decentralization and the lived experiences of citizens. He revealed that governance structures such as County Councils and County Service Centers are recognized but remain constrained by limited transparency, weak responsiveness, limited financing, and inadequate inclusion of marginalized groups and voices.

However, he emphasized that increased evidence-based advocacy and capacity building for citizens and the presence of the media, civil society, and community-based organizations provide a foundation for building more inclusive and accountable governance and improved service delivery in Liberia. UN Women Liberia Program Officer, Leeneh Y. Kiamu, highlighted the need for increased collaborative efforts towards the promotion of decentralization, transparency, responsiveness, and the involvement of women's groups and persons with disabilities.  

The report highlighted challenges confronting the County Service Centers, as 25% of respondents rated their services as transparent, and over a quarter considered them effective. Also, women, youth, and persons with disabilities were consistently rated as having moderate to very low involvement in decision-making processes. Additionally, 69% of respondents rated advocacy and capacity efforts as strong or very strong, with more than half of respondents admitting to have attended meetings organized by civil society organizations. Awareness of Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) was reported to be extensive at 87%, while confidence in advocacy effectiveness was mixed.

The report recommends more capacity-building efforts for citizens, civil society, media, and other groups on gender, decentralization, and good governance; increased sensitization and evidence-based advocacy by civil society and community based organizations; the provision of support and mentorship for women, youths, and persons with disabilities to participate in local governance and hold their leaders accountable; stronger government-cso partnership in supporting decentralization and other efforts; and adequate financing of County Councils, County Service Centers and other decentralized structures to improve accountability and public service delivery.

The research was conducted as an activity under the project titled “Enhancing Citizen’s Participation in Local Governance,” funded by UN Women Liberia through the Peace Building Fund, implemented being implemented by the Women’s NGO Secretariat of Liberia (WONGOSOL) and the Center for Transparency and Accountability in Liberia (CENTAL). The research was validated with citizens in the project counties and launched to key stakeholders, representing a critical step toward strengthening citizen participation, enhancing service delivery, and advancing inclusive governance reforms across Liberia.