MFDP Launches Budget Disaggregation Training -Aims to Empower Local Officials Execute Responsibility 

MONROVIA – The Government of Liberia, through the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning (MFDP), has launched a comprehensive training program on Budget Disaggregation for local government officials, key financial officers, particularly in the health and education sectors.

The training, which commenced on October 12, 2025, will run until October 17, 2025, in Buchanan City, Grand Bassa County.

The week-long training marks the beginning of a fundamental transfer of authority to local leadership across the country.

Minister of Finance and Development Planning, Hon. Anthony G. Myers, emphasized that “this is the beginning of the end of the realization of decentralization.”

He highlighted that the training is aimed at empowering local officials with the necessary resources and authority to execute their responsibilities effectively, noting that this is cornerstone of the new strategy, an unprecedented level of budget transparency.

Minister Myers announced that county officials will soon have access to the budgets of each ministry and agency, enabling them to track spending within their counties.

He said to facilitate this, the government is expanding its County Treasury system, adding six new county treasuries to the existing four, bringing the total to ten.

Speaking to the decentralization of government procurement which is expected to have an immediate impact on local businesses, Minister Myers criticized the current centralized procurement system, which requires businesses to bid for contracts in Monrovia, even for events held in other counties.

He said the new strategy aims to empower local entrepreneurs, create jobs, and keep spending within county economies.

The training emphasized the importance of professionalism and accountability in local government.

Also speaking at the launch, Internal Affairs Minister Francis Saah Nymalin stressed the need to professionalize local government, while Comptroller and Accountant General J. Elwood Nettey warned that county officials would be held accountable for their financial decisions.

He cautioned that excuses about lack of capacity would not be tolerated and that the General Auditing Commission would scrutinize county finances with the same rigor as the national government.

The training marks a significant step towards implementing financial decentralization, a policy introduced since 2012, said an MFDP release, which added that tf successfully executed, it promises to reshape governance and economic activity across Liberia by moving power and resources closer to the people.