Government Begins Media Capacity Building in Grand Bassa as MFDP Trains Journalists to Cover County Budgets and Decentralization Reforms

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Government Begins Media Capacity Building in Grand Bassa as MFDP Trains Journalists to Cover County Budgets and Decentralization Reforms

BY: Rufus Divine Brooks Jr

Grand Bassa County_ — The Ministry of Finance and Development Planning has begun a four-day training workshop for journalists aimed at strengthening media coverage of fiscal decentralization and local governance across Liberia.

The training, which started September 9 and runs through September 12, 2026, is being organized by the MFDP’s Fiscal Decentralization Unit in Buchanan.

Participants include reporters from national broadcasters, community radio stations, online television platforms, and newspapers.

Officials said the initiative is designed to improve reporting on county budgets, public spending, local revenue collection, procurement, and development projects as the Boakai Administration devolves powers from central government to local authorities.

The training is being held under the government’s ARREST Agenda for Inclusive Development, 2025–2029, which prioritizes decentralization, transparency, accountability, and citizen participation.

The reforms are intended to improve public resource management and give communities greater say in development priorities.

The Ministry noted that limited access to financial information remains a challenge, especially in rural areas.

It said stronger journalism, particularly community radio, can bridge that gap by delivering timely information in local languages.

Participants will be trained on decentralization policies, county governance structures, budgeting, local revenue, procurement, and public expenditure tracking.

Sessions will also cover community radio journalism, data storytelling, and interactive formats like call-in shows and town halls to promote public discussion and scrutiny of local government.

Speaking at the opening, Information Minister Jerolinmick Matthew Piah, represented by Deputy Minister for Technical Services Nathaniel Bayjay, said the media serves as the critical bridge between policy and public ownership.

“As Liberia accelerates fiscal decentralization, the role of journalists, especially those based locally, is very important,” Minister Piah said.

“Coverage must shift from Monrovia-centric reporting to focus on County Treasury Frameworks and County Development Agendas.”

He urged journalists to simplify financial terms, humanize budgets by showing impacts on schools and clinics, and amplify the voices of women, youth, and persons with disabilities.

Also speaking, Press Union of Liberia President Julius Kanubah commended MFDP for the initiative and stressed the need for sustained capacity building.

“Community radio is more than a channel of communication — it is a bridge between national fiscal policies and local realities,” Kanubah said.

“When strengthened, it can transform fiscal decentralization from a policy on paper into a lived reality.”

Kanubah cited challenges including limited technical capacity, resource constraints, and political pressure.

He called on journalists to uphold ethics, fairness, and accuracy in reporting.

Other officials at the opening included Deputy Finance Minister for Fiscal Affairs Hon. Anthony G. Myers, Deputy Minister for Administration Hon. Benedict Haryleyson, Comptroller General Hon. Elwood T. Netty, Grand Bassa Superintendent Karyou Johnson, and Fiscal Decentralization Unit Director Dr. Romeo D. N. Gbartea.

The Ministry said it expects the training to produce more public-interest stories and promote transparency in the management of public resources in Liberia’s 15 counties.