Author: Chester Smith

—As Finance Minister Engages Key Planning Officials In a significant move aimed at tightening fiscal discipline and improving public sector efficiency, Liberia’s Minister of Finance and Development Planning, Augustine Kpehe Ngafuan held a high-level strategic engagement with the Ministry’s Department of Budget and Development Planning, focusing on ongoing institutional reforms, operational bottlenecks, and key priorities for the country’s next fiscal budget cycle. The meeting forms part of Liberia’s broader efforts to strengthen public financial management at a time when the government faces increasing pressure to improve budget execution, revenue mobilization, and expenditure accountability. Liberia’s national budget has expanded significantly in…

IPNEWS: The European Union, through the SWAIMS Project, has donated two Rigid-Hulled Inflatable Boats (RHIBs) to the Government of Liberia to enhance the operational capacity of the Liberia Coast Guard.The boats, handed over at the Coast Guard Headquarters on Bushrod Island, are expected to improve maritime security, support joint regional operations, and help combat threats such as illegal fishing, piracy, trafficking, and smuggling in the Gulf of Guinea. Defense Minister Brig. Gen. Geraldine Janet George (Rtd.) thanked the EU and its partners for their continued support, while EU Ambassador Dr. Anna Brzozowska reaffirmed the bloc’s commitment to helping Liberia strengthen…

IPNEWS: Fresh revelations are emerging from ongoing investigation into the US$19 million cocaine seizure at Roberts International Airport (RIA) tracing a Lebanese owned cold storage facility near the Monrovia Industrial Park in Gardnersville, where the drugs are believed to have been repackaged before transportation. Investigators have also uncovered a phantom company allegedly created to facilitate the transshipment of the Cocaine through Liberia. The Ministry of Justice identified as Emre Venn Group of Companies, reportedly operating from around 20th Street, Sinkor, Monrovia, as the consignee for the shipment. However, preliminary findings have reportedly raised serious red flags after investigators failed to…

ArcelorMittal Liberia (AML) has successfully transitioned 83 Process Operator Learners into Short-Term Employee (STE) contracts, marking a major step forward in their professional growth and contribution to Liberia’s mining sector. The 83 trainees, drawn from AML’s B4 and B5 Process Operator Learner cohorts — comprising 41 and 42 participants respectively — officially completed their initial six-month Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) training program on June 15, 2026. The trainees began their intensive technical instruction and operational training journey on December 15, 2025, receiving hands-on preparation designed to equip them with the skills required for industrial operations. Operations Training and Compliance Manager…

—Advances Recommendation for speedy prosecution of Cartel Simeon Freeman, the leader of the opposition Movement for Progressive Change (MPC), is pushing for sanction against President Joseph Boakai and his vice president Jerimiah Koung, including top officials of the Boakai’s Administration. Freeman argues that the 19 Million drugs were still not yet been publicly destroyed and wonders Why an illegal drug was still doing in storage and stored by untrusted individuals. “We urge the international community to sanction Boakai/Koung and his top officials including asset seizure, if this investigation is not concluded in 14 days. This is no time for party…

IPNEWS: Fresh revelations are emerging from ongoing investigation into the US$19 million cocaine seizure at Roberts International Airport (RIA) tracing a Lebanese owned cold storage facility near the Monrovia Industrial Park in Gardnersville, where the drugs are believed to have been repackaged before transportation. Investigators have also uncovered a phantom company allegedly created to facilitate the transshipment of the Cocaine through Liberia. The Ministry of Justice identified as Emre Venn Group of Companies, reportedly operating from around 20th Street, Sinkor, Monrovia, as the consignee for the shipment. However, preliminary findings have reportedly raised serious red flags after investigators failed to…

The Ministry of Commerce and Industry (MOCI), in close consultation with the management of the Liberia Petroleum Refining Company (LPRC), have announced the reduction in the price of Petroleum Products Monthly Price Circular for gasoline (PMS) and fuel oil (AGO) on the Liberian market, effective June 18, 2026. The Ministry informs the public that the prices of both gasoline (PMS) and fuel oil (AGO) have been reduced. Gasoline (PMS) has decreased by US$0.15, while fuel oil (AGO) has been reduced by US$0.30. New Price Ceiling for Petroleum Products goes into effective Thursday, June 18, 2026, with the approved prices for…

The Government of Liberia has announced plans to recruit dozens of professionals to serve in various positions connected to the country’s upcoming tenure on the United Nations Security Council. Speaking at a regular government press briefing, Information Minister and government spokesperson Jerolinmek Piah said preparations are already underway for Liberia’s assumption of its non-permanent seat on the UN Security Council in New York City. According to Piah, the government, through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, will recruit 22 qualified Liberian professionals who will be assigned to Liberia’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations in the United States. The recruitment effort…

IPNEWS: The Liberia Drug Enforcement Agency (LDEA) is facing immense pressure following the June 8, 2026 interception of 237.6 kilograms of cocaine, valued at US$19.2 million, at the Roberts International Airport (RIA). The LDEA’s decision to withhold the names and identities of the suspects and importers has triggered widespread public outrage, political speculation, and a formal legislative summons, creating a tense standoff between the agency and the public. LDEA Officer-in-Charge Fitzgerald T.M. Biago and the agency’s leadership have adamantly refused to publish the names of the individuals or entities behind the massive shipment. In an unusual post carried on social…

The ECOWAS Bank for Investment and Development (EBID) has approved a series of strategic financing operations to support private sector development and energy security across West Africa, at the close of the 98th Ordinary Session of its Board of Directors held on 16 June 2026. These approvals, amounting to USD 75 million and EUR 105 million, underscore the Bank’s ongoing commitment to fostering inclusive, resilient, and investment-driven growth in West Africa. Opening the session, the President and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Bank, Dr George Agyekum Donkor, highlighted the strategic importance of the new commitments: “These interventions…