Author: Chester Smith
IPNEWS: Vandalark R. Patricks, a Liberian Human Rights Defender has petitioned the government of Ghana for a formal constitutional demand for the immediate arrest, interrogation, and prosecution of the woman whose calculated and misleading statements that directly led to the brutal murder of a Liberian national, identified as Austin. Patricks warned that failure of the Ghana Police Service (GPS) to take her into custody suggests an alarming selective application of the Ghanaian law, potentially shielding a primary perpetrator of a capital offence under the guise of her pregnancy or social status. The petitioned also mentioned under Section 20(1) of the…
IPNEWS-BUCHANAN CITY, Liberia: Residents of Electoral District #3C in Grand Bassa County are demanding that their lawmaker, Representative Alfred H. Flomo, return an alleged US$12,000 withdrawn from the district’s Community Forest account, escalating a dispute that has stirred tension across several towns. Community members say the money belongs to the Community Forest Management Body (CFMB), the legally established institution responsible for managing forest resources and revenues on behalf of affected communities in Districts 3C and 3B. The CFMB, headed by J. Max Kpelleh, is mandated under Liberia’s Community Rights Law of 2009 to develop and implement community forest management plans,…
IPNEW: The Government of Liberia, in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), will on March 12, 2026, dedicate a newly completed prefabricated solarpowered cold storage facility for fish mongers in Robertsport City, Grand Cape Mount County. The dedication marks a major step forward in improving the livelihoods of fishing communities and strengthening local value chains under the Accelerated Community Development Programme (ACDP). The $66,597 USD facility, validated earlier this month by a joint team of UNDP solar engineers and representatives of the National Fisheries and Aquaculture Authority (NaFAA), is now fully operational and ready to serve hundreds of…
IPNEWS: Transparency watchdog CENTAL says President Joseph Nyumah Boakai’s new management structure for the government’s “Yellow Machines” road project is expanding the size and cost of government, warning that the creation of additional boards, committees and minister-level appointments risks widening Liberia’s public wage bill at a time of limited national resources. “It is cost-intensive to continue expanding the government when resources are meager,” CENTAL Executive Director Anderson Miamen said, urging the administration to strengthen existing institutions instead of creating new layers of authority around the project. The criticism comes as Boakai’s “Yellow Machines” rollout, launched after Liberia received the first…
IPNEWS: Liberia’s House of Representatives has begun reviewing legislation that would criminalize gender-based online abuse, after Nimba County District 2 Rep. Nyahn G. Flomo introduced a bill seeking to amend the Kamara Abdullah Kamara Act of Press Freedom to address harassment and insults targeting women and girls on social media. The proposed legislation, titled the Protection from Gender-Based Online Abuse Amendment Act of 2026, was formally submitted to Plenary and subsequently referred to the House Committees on Information, Broadcasting, and Judiciary, which have been given one week to review the measure and report back with recommendations. If enacted, the amendment…
Executive Mansion, Monrovia – President Joseph Nyuma Boakai, Sr. has issued Executive Order No. 160, constituting a Technical Committee for the Enforcement and Implementation of the Presidential Decision on the longstanding land dispute in Nimba County, particularly in the Ganta area. The Executive Order establishes a neutral and professional mechanism aimed at ensuring the peaceful, lawful, and coordinated implementation of the Government’s decision regarding the dispute, which has persisted for decades and continues to pose challenges to peace, security, and orderly development in the region. According to the Executive Order, the Committee will be responsible for enforcing and technically implementing…
IPNEWS: President Joseph Nyuma Boakai, Sr. has issued Executive Order No. 160, constituting a Technical Committee for the Enforcement and Implementation of the Presidential Decision on the longstanding land dispute in Nimba County, particularly in the Ganta area. The Executive Order establishes a neutral and professional mechanism aimed at ensuring the peaceful, lawful, and coordinated implementation of the Government’s decision regarding the dispute, which has persisted for decades and continues to pose challenges to peace, security, and orderly development in the region. According to the Executive Order, the Committee will be responsible for enforcing and technically implementing previous Presidential decisions,…
IPNEWS: The Liberia Water and Sewer Corporation (LWSC) has authorized legal action against commercial well operators who fail to pay statutory water charges, escalating enforcement efforts against businesses the state utility says are undermining the country’s water service system. The decision follows a resolution by the LWSC Board of Directors granting management authority to initiate lawsuits against non-compliant operators across Liberia in order to recover unpaid fees and enforce regulatory obligations. According to the Corporation, persistent non-payment by some commercial well operators has weakened its ability to deliver water services and fulfill its statutory mandate. “The decision comes amid growing…
Will Weah Honor Invitation? IPNEWS: Aimed at fostering dialogue on governance and national development, the Honorable House of Representatives has accepted a motion to invite former President George Weah to appear before its members. The decision comes as part of the Legislature’s ongoing efforts to engage leaders in discussions about the country’s political landscape and pressing governance issues. The motion, proposed by Representative Melv Cole of Bong County, received overwhelming support during a session held on Thursday which saw members emphasizing the importance of cross-examining various governance perspectives. Representative Cole noted, “Former President Weah’s tenure, which was marked by…
For some times now, there had been controversies over who takes the credit on international engagements that led to the granting of a major Construction project to Liberia. President Joseph N. Boakai, officially launched the construction of Liberia’s first-ever overhead bridges (overpasses) on September 2, 2025. The President stated that the project is a landmark infrastructure initiative designed to modernize the capital and alleviate severe traffic congestion in Monrovia. The $36.6 million project, fully funded by a grant from the People’s Republic of China, consists of two modern overpass bridges located along the busy Tubman Boulevard corridor: The Overpass located near the Ellen Johnson Sirleaf Ministerial…