With FOI Awareness Training for Staff
IPNEWS: The Liberia Revenue Authority (LRA), in partnership with the Independent Information Commission (IIC), on Friday hosted a one-day Freedom of Information (FOI) Awareness, Compliance, and Records Management Training at the LRA Headquarters, reinforcing the Authority’s ongoing commitment to openness, accountability, and public trust.
Commissioner General James Dorbor Jallah, delivering the opening address, reaffirmed the LRA’s unwavering dedication to fully implementing the FOI Law.
He emphasized that transparency remains central to the institution’s service to the public, as mandated by Article 15(c) of the Constitution and the FOI Act of 2010.
CG Jallah highlighted the Authority’s major steps in ensuring that public information is easily accessible, noting that the LRA’s website is regularly updated with annual reports, audit reports, leadership structures, and other critical information.
He underscored that the recent introduction of the real-time Revenue Dashboard, to be launched shortly, represents one of the nation’s strongest examples of government transparency, allowing the public to view the country’s revenue position at any given moment.
He added that the LRA’s daily social media updates serve as a proactive disclosure mechanism and that the institution’s expansion of media engagement—training nearly 100 journalists across five counties in 2025—demonstrates a deliberate move to deepen public education and access to information.
Speaking on behalf of IIC Commissioner Joash T. Hodges, Mr. Armah Boimah Johnson, Director of Compliance, commended the LRA for its consistent track record of FOI compliance.
He noted that the training was designed to further strengthen staff understanding of the FOI Law and to ensure that the LRA continues to uphold high standards of transparency and timely access to public information.
Johnson praised the LRA as one of Liberia’s better-performing public institutions in the IIC’s annual compliance reviews and encouraged participants to use the training as an opportunity to reinforce the institution’s role as a national leader in openness.
Mr. Danicius Kaihenneh Sengbeh, LRA Manager for Communication, Media and Public Affairs and the Authority’s FOI Focal Person, traced the LRA’s modern transparency journey back to 2016, when the institution designated its first Public Information Officer following a mandate from the IIC.
He recalled the LRA’s response to its largest FOI request from the Liberia Media Center, saying that the rigorous and timely disclosure of documents during that period set the foundation for the Authority’s strong culture of openness.
Mr. Sengbeh emphasized that since then, the LRA has consistently implemented the FOI Law with diligence, cataloguing requests, responding to inquiries, and performing well in annual IIC assessments. He described the one-day workshop as an extension of a deliberate effort to ensure that every department within the LRA understands the law and remains equipped to fulfill the public’s right to information.
The training brought together senior LRA staff and facilitators from the IIC, all working collectively to strengthen record management, institutional compliance, and public information delivery.
The collaborative exercise, according to the ICC, reflects the kind of inter-agency partnership required to ensure that Liberia’s FOI system continues to function effectively.
The event closed with a strong reaffirmation of the LRA’s commitment to transparency as a driver of public confidence, improved voluntary tax compliance, and better service delivery.
The Authority pledged to continue expanding its openness initiatives, including ongoing digital innovations and deeper engagement with taxpayers, the media, and civil society.
