Published: October 15, 2025
HARPER, Maryland County — The Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission (LACC) has taken its anti-graft campaign beyond Monrovia, completing a three-day intensive training for local government officials in Harper aimed at empowering them to become frontline defenders of integrity in their communities.
The workshop, held October 8–10, 2025, was organized with support from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and funding from the United Nations Peacebuilding Fund (UNPBF). It brought together 50 representatives from Maryland, Sinoe, River Gee, Grand Kru, and Grand Gedeh counties, including superintendents, district commissioners, administrative officers, and procurement officers.
The initiative is part of the LACC’s decentralization effort to ensure that anti-corruption education, prevention, and enforcement reach every corner of Liberia.
‘Ambassadors of Integrity’
Closing the workshop, LACC Vice Executive Chairperson Ernest R. Hughes said the Commission’s strategy is shifting from enforcement to prevention through education and empowerment.
“We want local leaders to become ambassadors of integrity,” Hughes said. “The fight against corruption can only be won when everyone — from the superintendent’s office to the town chief — understands their role and responsibility.”
Representing LACC Executive Chairperson Cllr. Alexandra Korma Zoe, Hughes emphasized that corruption is not just a national governance issue but a local development challenge that undermines public service delivery and erodes trust between citizens and government.
Training Focused on Key Legal Tools
The sessions covered topics including Asset Declaration and Verification, Whistleblower and Witness Protection Acts, and the Statute of Limitation — critical legal instruments for detecting, reporting, and prosecuting corruption.
Delivering the opening lecture, Cllr. Jerry D.K. Garlawolu, Assistant Minister for Litigation at the Ministry of Justice, said protecting whistleblowers is central to effective enforcement.
“People will not come forward if they fear for their safety,” Garlawolu cautioned, calling for closer collaboration between justice institutions and local authorities to safeguard informants and witnesses.
During group discussions, participants from River Gee County voiced concerns about the leakage of informants’ identities, which they said discourages citizens from reporting wrongdoing, including drug trafficking and misuse of public funds.
In response, Superintendent Mike Swengbe assured participants that steps are being taken to strengthen confidentiality and rebuild confidence in local reporting systems.
Part of Nationwide Outreach
The Harper engagement marked the third regional training organized under the LACC’s Social Accountability Project, following earlier sessions in Ganta, Nimba County, and Buchanan, Grand Bassa County. The initiative aims to cover all 15 counties, decentralizing the fight against corruption and promoting community-based accountability.
As the Maryland session closed, participants expressed renewed commitment to transparency and ethical leadership at the local level, describing the training as both practical and transformative.
“If Liberians unite to fight corruption,” one participant said, “the country will prosper and function effectively.”
Grassroots Governance, National Impact
Through partnerships with the Ministry of Internal Affairs, UNDP, and the UN Peacebuilding Fund, the LACC is advancing a model of anti-corruption governance that starts at the grassroots — where policy meets the people.
“Building a corruption-free Liberia begins with empowering those who serve closest to the citizens,” Hughes said.
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