MONROVIA, LIBERIA-Liberia’s Minister of Local Government, Francis S. Nyumalin, has disclosed that the Ministry of Local Government has jump-started the process to roll out the amended Local Government Act of 2025.
Minister Nyumalin, addressing a news conference in Monrovia on Tuesday, extolled President Joseph Nyuma Boakai, Sr., for his visionary leadership and unwavering support of the worthwhile amended Act in the superior interest of the nation and its people.
He also expressed thanks and appreciation to the members of the Legislature and all partners, as well as stakeholders, who supported the passage of the amended Act.
“With this latest development, and in alignment with the President’s vision, the Ministry of Local Government is set to begin the nationwide roll-out of the amended Local Government Act and calls for the full cooperation and participation of all concerned stakeholders”, Minister Nyumalin stated.
He indicated that renaming the Internal Affairs Ministry to the Ministry of Local Government is a testament to President Boakai’s first State of the Nation Address, delivered on January 29, 2024, where he underscored decentralization as a cornerstone of his administration’s Agenda for Accelerated Rural Transformation and Economic Recovery (AARTER).
In the President’s address: “That Liberia’s long-standing highly centralized governance system, anchored in Monrovia, had for decades excluded rural communities and left them marginalized. To reverse this trend and effect a paradigm shift, he committed his administration to the full implementation of the Local Government Act of 2018 and called on the Legislature to establish a dedicated Ministry of Local Government”.
Minister Nyumalin indicated that following the address, President Boakai took concrete steps to empower local governance by instructing all relevant Ministries, Agencies, and Commissions (MACs) to devolve approval and signing authorities to their respective representatives at County Service Centers.
The Ministry of Local Government Boss further narrated that the promulgation of these frameworks imposes expanded mandates and responsibilities on the Ministry, making its renaming necessary.
Historical Highlights
This request included an amendment to Chapter 25 (Ministry of Internal Affairs), Title 12 of the Executive Law of 1972, Liberian Codes of Law Revised, to establish in its stead a new Chapter 25 known as the Ministry of Local Government.