MONROVIA – When the Center for Transparency and Accountability in Liberia (CENTAL) unveiled its 2025 State of Corruption Report in Monrovia Wednesday, it handed policymakers a verdict as double-edged as any in recent memory. Perception of high-level corruption has fallen sharply, the Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission has exceeded its investigative targets, and asset declaration compliance has climbed to 91 percent. Yet bribery is rising, only 37 percent of audit recommendations have been implemented, and public confidence in the very institutions leading the fight has declined across the board. As THE ANALYST reports, the watchdog concludes that Liberia’s anti-graft architecture is now expanding faster than the will and capacity to enforce it, leaving the country at a critical juncture.
Liberia has made measurable progress in its fight against corruption over the past year, but the gains remain too limited and fragile to convince most citizens that the country is winning the battle against graft, according to the 2025 State of Corruption in Liberia (SCORE) Report launched Wednesday by CENTAL.
The report, unveiled during a well-attended ceremony in Monrovia, presents a nuanced assessment of Liberia’s anti-corruption efforts, acknowledging improvements in several governance indicators while warning that weak law enforcement, selective accountability, judicial delays, and declining public confidence continue to undermine the country’s anti-graft campaign.
Produced under CENTAL’s National Integrity Building and Anti-Corruption (NIBA) Program with funding from the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA), the annual SCORE report captures Liberians’ perceptions and experiences of corruption while assessing the country’s progress in combating graft.
Presenting the findings, CENTAL Program Manager Chejuah Rogget Chea and consultant Cllr. Gerald D. Yeakula said the report underscores the urgent need for renewed national commitment to adequately fund integrity institutions and to ensure the impartial investigation and prosecution of individuals accused of corruption, regardless of their status or political affiliation.
Officially launching the report, Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission (LACC) Executive Chairperson Cllr. Alexandra K. Zoe described the findings as both encouraging and challenging.
“This report serves as an affirmation of our efforts and a call for us to do more in the fight against corruption in Liberia,” Cllr. Zoe declared.
Earlier, CENTAL Executive Director Anderson D. Miamen underscored the importance of the annual report as an independent assessment of the country’s anti-corruption efforts, saying it provides an opportunity to evaluate progress made, identify persistent challenges, and draw lessons for strengthening accountability and good governance.
For his part, CENTAL Board Chairman Cllr. T. Negbalee Warner reminded participants that the report should be viewed as a reflection of citizens’ lived realities.
“The report is by nature and definition a survey of what people have lived, their experiences, and what they believe about corruption in Liberia,” Cllr. Warner said.
Representing the Embassy of Sweden, Madam Wheamar Krah urged policymakers and accountability institutions to use the report’s findings and recommendations to strengthen Liberia’s anti-corruption framework and improve transparency and public accountability.
Remarks were also delivered by AFELL Vice President Cllr. Bowoulo T. Kelley; Acting United Methodist University President Cllr. Madina Wesseh; University of Liberia President Dr. Layli Maparyan; Office of the Ombudsman representative Cllr. Larmin Kpargoi; and Bong County Representative Moima Briggs-Mensah, among others.
A Story of Progress and Persistent Failure
At the heart of the report is a central conclusion: Liberia’s fight against corruption is experiencing what CENTAL describes as “a period of uneven progress”—one in which important institutional reforms coexist with serious weaknesses in accountability and enforcement.
“Corruption remains a deeply entrenched challenge in Liberia, undermining public service delivery, institutional trust, and equitable development,” the report states, adding that the reporting period reflected “a period of uneven progress—one in which meaningful institutional advances coexisted with persistent gaps in enforcement, selective accountability, underfunding of integrity institutions, and mounting concerns about the even-handed application of anti-corruption commitments.”
Rather than portraying Liberia as either succeeding or failing outright, the report paints two contrasting realities. On one hand, several governance indicators suggest that reforms are beginning to bear fruit. On the other, corruption remains deeply rooted in public institutions, while the overwhelming majority of Liberians still consider it one of the country’s gravest national challenges.
Signs of Progress
Among the report’s most encouraging findings is the continued decline in the number of Liberians who perceive corruption as being at a very high level. According to CENTAL’s nationwide survey, 59 percent of respondents rated corruption as “high” in 2025—a sharp decline from 83 percent in 2024 and 90 percent in 2023.
Institutionally, the report records several notable achievements. The Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission exceeded its annual investigative target, receiving 44 corruption complaints, completing 27 investigations, securing 12 indictments, and obtaining three convictions.
Asset declaration compliance also improved dramatically. Following government enforcement actions that included suspending officials and blocking salaries for non-compliance, 91 percent of officials required by law complied with the asset declaration process.
The report further credits procurement reforms for improving transparency, noting that nearly 87 percent of public institutions complied with procurement planning requirements. And in another governance milestone, Liberia’s Legislature subjected itself to a system audit by the General Auditing Commission for the first time since the country’s return to democratic governance.
Progress Has Limits
Yet CENTAL cautions that these achievements should not be mistaken for victory. Although fewer Liberians now classify corruption as “high,” the report finds that 94 percent of respondents still consider corruption either high or moderate.
CENTAL therefore warns against celebrating the improved perception figures prematurely.
“The decline is better read as a moderation in how severely Liberians rate corruption than as evidence that concern about corruption has meaningfully eased,” the report emphasizes.
In other words, citizens may believe corruption is becoming slightly less pervasive, but they remain convinced it continues to significantly affect national life.
Frontline Corruption Remains Widespread
One of the report’s most troubling findings is that corruption continues to thrive in institutions providing essential public services. The Liberia National Police remains the institution perceived as most vulnerable to corruption, followed by health facilities and the Judiciary. Educational institutions and transportation services also recorded increases in perceived corruption during the reporting period.
“While overall corruption perception declined, citizens’ concern about frontline service integrity deepened rather than eased,” CENTAL observes.
The report further reveals that the proportion of Liberians admitting they paid bribes rose to 37 percent in 2025 from 26 percent in 2024, with most respondents saying they paid simply to receive services more quickly.
Weak Enforcement Still the Greatest Challenge
CENTAL argues that Liberia’s greatest challenge is no longer establishing anti-corruption institutions but ensuring they function effectively.
The General Auditing Commission reported that only 37 percent of more than 7,100 audit recommendations had been implemented across government institutions, with several ministries, agencies, and local governments implementing very few recommendations or none at all.
Although the Assets Recovery and Property Retrieval Task Force (AREPT) secured indictments against more than 40 former officials, many major corruption cases remained tied up in lengthy court proceedings or were dismissed on procedural grounds—reinforcing public perceptions that accountability remains inconsistent.
Confidence in Institutions Declines
Ironically, while anti-corruption investigations became more visible during 2025, confidence in the institutions responsible for fighting corruption declined.
“Institutional confidence declined across the board,” the report states unequivocally, noting that confidence in integrity institutions fell significantly while trust in the Judiciary also dropped sharply.
According to CENTAL, Liberians increasingly judge institutions not by the number of investigations announced, but by whether those investigations result in convictions, the recovery of stolen public assets, and the equal application of justice.
Liberia at a Critical Crossroads
Ultimately, the report concludes that Liberia has reached a defining moment in its anti-corruption journey. While acknowledging meaningful progress in investigations, procurement reforms, asset declaration compliance, and institutional oversight, CENTAL warns that the country’s legal and institutional framework is advancing faster than its capacity to consistently enforce accountability.
“Liberia stands at a critical juncture. The institutional architecture for fighting corruption continues to develop, but the gap between framework and practice—between policy commitment and consistent enforcement—remains the defining challenge,” the report concludes.
The report calls for sustained political commitment from all three branches of government, increased funding for integrity institutions, impartial prosecution of corruption cases regardless of political affiliation, transparent management of anti-corruption prosecutions, and stronger collaboration with civil society, the media, and citizens.
A Mixed but Clear Verdict
Taken together, the 2025 State of Corruption in Liberia Report delivers neither a verdict of outright success nor one of complete failure. Instead, it concludes that Liberia is making measurable progress: investigations have increased, compliance with asset declaration laws has improved, procurement systems are becoming more transparent, and citizens are beginning to acknowledge some positive developments.
However, those gains continue to be overshadowed by persistent bribery, poor implementation of audit recommendations, slow judicial processes, declining confidence in accountability institutions, and the enduring perception that corruption remains deeply embedded within the country’s governance system.
For CENTAL, the message is unmistakable: Liberia’s anti-corruption fight is moving in the right direction, but until reforms consistently translate into convictions, recovered assets, stronger institutions, and restored public trust, the country cannot claim victory over corruption.