Published: December 12, 2025
MONROVIA — Employees of the Liberia News Agency (LINA) have sounded the alarm on what they describe as a “crippling stagnation” of the state-owned news agency, submitting a formal petition to the Legislature and demanding urgent intervention.
A Legacy of Neglect?
According to the petition, LINA has been rendered “dormant and ineffective” due to chronic operational failures, financial opacity, and workplace challenges. Despite receiving over US$706,000 in the 2024 and 2025 national budgets as revealed in a recent investigative report by The Liberian Investigator, the agency lacks basic tools, including laptops, internet access, transportation, and a working website. Reporters and editors are forced to rely on personal phones, data, and makeshift systems to produce content that “goes nowhere.”
Funds Mismanagement Allegations
The workers allege that management has not accessed or deployed the budgeted funds, leaving LINA unable to function. “The Ministry of Information, Cultural Affairs, and Tourism (MICAT) has redirected portions of LINA’s allocation, citing “critical ministry-wide challenges”.
Deputy Information Minister for Administration Johnny S. Tarkpah stated that MICAT is faced with “serious infrastructural problems, salary disparities, and a lack of logistics”, leading to the decision to shift funds.
History of Budgetary Neglect, records reveal: for Fiscal Year 2024, US$353,040 (US$352,853 reported as spent) and Fiscal Year 2025, US$353,040 (US$243,100 spent to date) while Fiscal Year 2026 Proposal stands at US$318,040 earmarked for LINA within MICAT’s larger US$3.7 million request.
Call for Accountability
The aggrieved staffers demand a comprehensive audit of LINA’s budgetary transfers for fiscal years 2024 and 2025, examining how MICAT managed or expended the funds intended for the agency. They also urge the Legislature to mandate the General Auditing Commission (GAC) to conduct the audit.
Workers’ Plea
“We cannot be held liable for the actions of the past,” their petition notes, distancing themselves from political narratives. They urge lawmakers to intervene, restore LINA’s website, address logistical gaps, and provide basic equipment and staff support. The workers emphasize that LINA has been without a functional website for almost two years, making it an anomaly in Africa and possibly the world. The ball is now in the Legislature’s court.
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