Published: November 11, 2026
CAPITOL HILL, Monrovia — The government would be required to appropriate at least US$5 million every year for the National County Sports Meet, even though the competition would be held only every other year, under a bill that now goes to President Joseph Nyuma Boakai after the House of Representatives concurred with the Senate on Tuesday.
The legislation, An Act to Establish the National County Sports Meet for Entertainment and Development, would make the intercounty tournament a permanent statutory competition administered by the Ministry of Youth and Sports, with a dedicated Sports Meet Fund and rules on county participation, host selection and permitted spending. River Gee County Sen. Jonathan Boye-Charles Sogbie, a former national footballer, sponsored the bill. The Senate passed it in December 2025.
The House acted on a recommendation from its Committee on Youth and Sports, chaired by Rep. Steve Tequah, which advised concurrence with the Senate version as presented. The House then directed its chief clerk to forward the bill to the presidency.
The US$5 million floor does not itself release any money. It would have to be met through the national budget and spent under the country’s public financial management rules.
In its Nov. 10 report, the committee said the bill is intended to promote national unity, develop athletic talent and stimulate economic activity tied to sports, tourism and infrastructure in host counties. The committee concluded that the competition serves an established public purpose and that a statutory framework would clarify the ministry’s responsibilities and give the tournament continuity. It recommended managing the money under public finance and procurement laws and having the General Auditing Commission audit it annually.
Under provisions reported after the Senate vote, hosting rights would rotate among counties through a public lottery run by the ministry at least two years in advance. Host counties would see investment in sporting facilities and accommodation as well as roads, water, sanitation and electricity, and facilities built for the tournament would remain open to communities afterward.
The House received and read the bill on Jan. 15 and referred it to the committee, according to the report. The committee filed an initial report March 10, but the bill was returned for further work before Tuesday’s recommendation.
Co-Chairman Mohammed Dosii and Reps. Bintu Massalay, Thomas A. Goshua II, Eugene J.M. Kollie, Frank Saah Foko and Gbessie Sonii Feika also signed the report.
Sogbie earlier sponsored legislation to establish the Liberia National Sports Fund Authority, a separate body meant to raise and manage money for national sports development from government allocations, grants and private contributions.
The bill becomes law only once it completes the constitutional process at the presidency.
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