Published: August 21, 2026
MONROVIA — The Liberia Revenue Authority has launched a five-year corporate strategic plan aimed at transforming the country’s tax and customs administration as domestic revenue collections approach the unprecedented $1 billion mark.
The revenue collection agency has disclosed in a press release that it has unveiled its Corporate Strategic Plan which runs from 2025 to 2029. The unveiling of the plan was done Thursday August 20, outlining a roadmap focused on strengthening domestic resource mobilization, expanding digital services, improving taxpayer compliance and facilitating legitimate trade.
The strategy comes as Liberia records a sharp increase in domestic revenue collections. Revenue rose from $699 million in 2024 to $848 million in 2025, surpassing the government’s 2025 target of $804.6 million by more than $44 million.
As of August 18, collections had reached $904.7 million, placing the country within reach of collecting $1 billion in domestic revenue for the first time.
LRA Commissioner General James Dorbor Jallah said the milestone represents more than a financial achievement, arguing that stronger domestic revenue collection is central to Liberia’s efforts to reduce dependence on external financing and fund national development.
“Reaching the billion-dollar milestone should not be viewed as an end in itself,” Jallah said, emphasizing the need to convert increased revenue into improved public services.
He said sustained domestic resource mobilization could provide greater support for schools, health facilities, roads and other essential services.
The strategic plan is built around five major goals: effective, fair and transparent administration of revenue laws; increased voluntary compliance; stronger governance, leadership, human resources and infrastructure; greater use of technology and data; and deeper cooperation with strategic partners.
Under the plan, the LRA intends to move away from fragmented and largely traditional procedures toward an integrated, automated and intelligence-led revenue administration system.
The authority also plans to simplify tax procedures and make compliance easier for businesses and individual taxpayers while improving transparency, accountability and operational efficiency. Jallah said the strategy places taxpayers at the center of the authority’s modernization efforts.
The LRA plans to make tax procedures and rulings more accessible, improve transparency in revenue performance, strengthen the protection of taxpayer information and reduce the time and complexity associated with fulfilling tax obligations. Digital transformation is expected to play a major role in achieving those objectives.
Jallah disclosed that the Automated System for Customs Data, known as ASYCUDA, has been deployed at 11 of 17 Customs Business Offices, while the Liberia Integrated Tax Administration System, or LITAS, has been rolled out at five of 18 Tax Business Offices.
Solar power and connectivity solutions are also being introduced at rollout locations to improve the reliability of operations outside Monrovia.
The LRA is targeting a significant reduction in the time required to clear cargo at the Freeport of Monrovia. Jallah said the authority wants to reduce the current clearance period of 12 days and 19 hours to three days.
The strategy also calls for improvements in rural tax and customs facilities, electricity, connectivity and operational equipment.
Jallah said achieving the objectives of the strategic plan will require cooperation across government and the private sector. He called on businesses to register, file their taxes and issue receipts, while urging importers and customs brokers to accurately declare the value of imported goods.
He also encouraged county authorities to support revenue mobilization efforts and called on development partners to continue assisting Liberia in building sustainable institutions.
Finance and Development Planning Minister Augustine Kpehe Ngafuan, who officially launched the strategic plan, praised the LRA’s performance and said the country’s recent revenue growth is increasingly validating the government’s projections.
“Today, we are knocking on heaven’s door. Because by September 2026, we will hit the $1 billion mark in domestic revenue,” Ngafuan said. “This is an achievement of the Liberian people.” Ngafuan, however, cautioned against treating the $1 billion threshold as the final objective.
He challenged the government and the LRA to develop strategies that will enable Liberia to sustain revenue collections at that level and increase them over time.
The minister pledged continued policy and budgetary support for the LRA and said the government would review incentive and bonus systems for revenue-generating institutions, including state-owned enterprises.
Director General of the Cabinet Nathaniel T. Kwabo also welcomed the strategic plan, describing it as a framework for strengthening the LRA’s capacity to generate sustainable revenue for national development.
The launch brought together senior government officials, development partners, business representatives and other stakeholders, reflecting the broad cooperation officials say will be necessary to implement the plan. For the LRA, the challenge now shifts from developing the strategy to executing it.
By 2029, the authority says its performance will ultimately be judged by whether taxpayers experience simpler compliance, businesses benefit from faster trade procedures, public confidence in revenue administration improves and Liberia can sustain stronger domestic revenue collections.
With the country approaching the $1 billion milestone, the new strategic plan places the LRA at the center of Liberia’s broader effort to strengthen fiscal independence and ensure that domestic resources increasingly finance the nation’s development priorities.
Discussion about this post