Published: May 22, 2026
MONROVIA — The House of Representatives has summoned Liberia Water and Sewer Corporation Managing Director Mohammed Ali to appear before plenary next Tuesday to explain and defend his widely disputed claim that approximately 76 percent of Liberia’s population currently has access to safe drinking water.
The action followed a formal communication from Nimba County District 7 Rep. Musa Hassan Bility, who argued that lawmakers have a responsibility to verify the figures before they are presented to the Liberian public as a measure of national progress.
The controversy traces to a statement reportedly published on Ali’s official Facebook page suggesting that more than four million of Liberia’s estimated 5.5 million people now benefit from safe drinking water services. The figure drew immediate skepticism, with many Liberians questioning whether it reflected conditions on the ground in their communities.
Bility was careful to frame his communication as a demand for transparency rather than an outright rejection of the data. “This communication is not intended to dispute the figures presented by the Managing Director,” he wrote. “Rather, it seeks to ensure that the People’s Representatives are properly informed so that we may accurately communicate national progress and development realities to our respective constituents and the Liberian people at large.”
Plenary is also requesting that Ali appear with supporting documents related to statements he reportedly made during a recent interview concerning water initiatives in Grand Gedeh, Maryland and Sinoe counties. Lawmakers want a full county-by-county and district-level breakdown identifying which communities are receiving safe drinking water services, the standards used to define that access, the challenges currently facing the sector, and plans for expanding coverage nationwide.
Ali did not wait for Tuesday’s hearing to respond. In a lengthy public statement posted on Facebook after news of the legislative summons emerged, the LWSC boss defended the figures and made clear he did not generate them.
“The figure cited was not created by Mohammed Ali or the Liberia Water and Sewer Corporation,” he wrote. “It is based on internationally recognized estimates from the WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Program.”
Ali explained that the Joint Monitoring Program, which serves as the globally accepted mechanism for tracking Sustainable Development Goal indicators on water, sanitation and hygiene, defines basic drinking water service as access to an improved water source with a round-trip collection time not exceeding 30 minutes, including waiting time. He stressed that the 76 percent figure does not mean that three-quarters of Liberians receive piped water from LWSC.
“Rather, it reflects access from all improved water sources nationwide, including community hand pumps, boreholes, protected wells, rural water systems, and utility systems supported by multiple actors and partners across Liberia,” he explained.
Ali also disclosed that the most recent UNICEF/WHO JMP 2025 dataset places Liberia’s national access to at least basic drinking water services even higher, at 78.8 percent, representing approximately 4.4 million people. Urban access, he said, stands at 86 percent, while rural access is estimated at 70.3 percent.
Despite the public defense, Ali said he welcomed the opportunity to appear before the House and provide lawmakers with a full briefing on methodology, county-level realities, sector challenges and future expansion plans.
He also used the moment to press for greater investment, arguing that the debate over statistics should not overshadow the more urgent need for sustained funding and infrastructure expansion.
“Water access should unite us around solutions, investment, and infrastructure expansion rather than divide us over statistics,” Ali said.
Discussion about this post