Capitol Building, Monrovia, May 19:On April 27, 2011, the then-President of the Liberian Senate, Amb. Joseph Nyumah Boakai, inaugurated the Legislative Information Service (LIS), thus cutting ribbon to the refurbished library and archive facilities. His address that day was not merely ceremonial; it was a powerful call to action when he urged leaders of the Liberian Legislature to “digitalize the institution and use information technology for the conduct of top-notch legislative research.” It was a vision of a modern, efficient, and transparent legislative body, driven by the power of information technology, undergirded by a digital system.
Fifteen years later, it is both a testament to President Boakai’s foresight and a stark reminder of persistent challenges that the Liberian Legislature continues to grapple with significant information technology and digital deficiencies. Basic systems – electronic voting, digital archiving, modern parliamentary websites, real-time public access, and reliable internet connectivity – which are standards in parliamentary institutions across Africa and the world, remain either absent or woefully inadequate within our own legislature. This digital deficit has, for too long, hampered our democratic processes, stifled efficiency, and limited public engagement.
It is precisely this historical context that makes President Boakai’s recent signing of Executive Order No. 163 so profoundly significant. This order, establishing the National Digitalization and Modernization Initiative (NDMI) and the Office of Technology, Digitalization, and Innovation (OTDI), is not just a new policy; it is the culmination of a consistent, long-standing commitment by President Boakai (From President of the Senate to President of Liberia) to modernize Liberia’s governance. The man who championed digitalization for the Legislature in 2011 is now, as President, providing the national policy framework to make that vision a reality through his EO #163.
The LIS wholeheartedly commends President Boakai for this bold and visionary action. The “Whole-of-Government” approach embedded in Executive Order No. 163 is particularly crucial. It rightly recognizes that true digital transformation cannot be confined to the Executive Branch; it must extend to the Legislature and Judiciary to foster genuinely effective, transparent, accountable, and responsive governance across the nation.
Like an e-Parliament, an e-Legislature is a digital legislature. It refers to the use of Information and Communications Technologies by legislative institutions to digitize lawmaking, streamline administrative workflows and enhance citizen engagement – improving overall legislative processes.
For years, the LIS, in its mandate to preserve, document, and disseminate legislative information, has consistently advocated for the very reforms now endorsed by the President. The bicameral departments formally communicated on April 20, 2026, to the Chairpersons on Ways, Means, Finance& Budget of both Houses with copies served the Speaker and President Pro tempore; LIS proposed a US$1,000,000.00 (US1m) appropriation in the recent supplementary budget under the Public Sector Investment Program (PSIP) for a comprehensive e-Legislature program over a four-year period (2026-2029). US$475,000.00 was appropriated for IT system upgrades.
President Boakai’s Executive Order No. 163 serves as a powerful governmental endorsement of these critical modernization initiatives. In pursuit of the department’s quest to have an electronically-built legislature, the LIS in June 2025 worked with the Office of the House Rules and Order Committee Chair in producing an e-House program document, which is still under review. These efforts were underpinned by the department’s comprehensive reform proposal submitted in 2025, which has been resubmitted to each Speaker and Pro temp to date. This is why the EO #163 is critical, to help in boosting and buttressing these collective legislative endeavors. The e-Legislature’s initiative, as is the case with e-Parliament the worldwide, is geared towards transitioning the Liberian Legislature towards e-Government.
Central to this transformation is the mandatory implementation of uninterrupted electronic voting systems in both chambers of the National Legislature. As we have consistently emphasized, electronic voting is an internationally recognized instrument for strengthening democratic institutions, ensuring transparency, accountability, and the proper documentation of legislative actions. Just as the United States Congress adopted electronic voting under its Legislative Reorganization Act of 1970 to enhance efficiency and accountability, Liberia must now move decisively to modernize its democratic institutions and preserve an accurate legislative history for future generations.
It is a sobering reality that despite previous World Bank support making some electronic voting and digital equipment available to the Senate, and the National Democratic Institute’s (NDI) initial support to the House, these resources have largely remained underutilized. Executive Order No. 163 now presents a renewed, national opportunity to integrate these assets into a cohesive modernization agenda. While the soon-to-commence renovation of the Capitol Building is commendable, physical improvements alone are insufficient. A modern legislature must not only possess improved facilities but must also operate through efficient digital systems that meet contemporary parliamentary standards.
It is in this vein that the Legislative Information Service respectfully but firmly calls upon the 55th Legislature to fully embrace the vision outlined in Executive Order No. 163 so as to achieve those imperatives that have eluded the Liberian Legislature since 2006. This means supporting the proposed e-Legislature program and allocating the necessary resources to modernize legislative operations. Such an investment is not merely an expenditure; it is an indispensable investment in transparency, legislative efficiency, public accessibility to parliamentary information, and ultimately, in Liberia’s democratic image both regionally and internationally.
The department is and remains confident that with introduction of the EO-163 under the administration of President Joseph Nyuma Boakai, Sr., Liberia in general and the legislature in particular can be successfully transitioned into a digitally empowered nation and branch of government, where governance and services to the Liberian people are more modernized, transparent, accountable, and truly responsive. The LIS stands ready to offer its full
institutional support toward the successful implementation of this vital National Digitalization and Modernization Initiative from the dimension of the Liberian Legislature.
It is anticipated that with the establishment of Executive Order No. 163, the Office of National Digitalization will work in concert with the Liberian Legislature to actualizing an e-Legislature, which encompasses: building of effective and uninterrupted conferencing equipment in both chambers; transitioning from manual voting to an electronic voting system; establishing a functional legislative website covering the entire legislature; building a wall-mounted television system for monitoring of plenary sessions; digitizing the legislative repository and archives for online access, and having a viable and stable internet service that aids in running of a paperless system.
The 55th Legislature, (Particularly the Offices of the Speaker regarding the under-construct website and Pro temp with respect to modernizing the LIS space for digitalization) has since started to address some of the inherited critical challenges related to information technology and digitalization, but a lot more is required before the expiration of its six-year tenure.
Study shows that the Liberian Legislature does not feature among the top-tier digitally advanced parliaments in Africa, least mentioning globally. Regional assessments and parliamentary indices place the Liberian Legislature in the lower-to-middle tier.
In 2025, at an LIS-NAYMOTE Workshop, NAYMOTE reported that the “Liberian Legislature is ranked 25th out of 33 parliaments with an overall score of 41.67% on the 2024 Open Parliament Index 2nd Edition.
It is anticipated that Executive Order 163 with its “whole-of-government” nature, will assist the Liberian Legislature in enhancing its digital credentials significantly.
The Legislative Information Service (LIS)serves as the research resource and knowledge-based center and general information repository (knowledge bank) for the Liberian Legislature. The bicameral department provides credible, reliable, timely, accurate, authoritative and confidential information when required; as well as objective and nonpartisan research and analysis to committees and members of the Senate and House of Representatives.
Established to coordinate bicameral information & technological services to Members, the LIS also provides research and other knowledge-based information services to lawmakers for informed decision-making and better public policy formulation.
Itis charged with the responsibility to providing information-related and other services to 103 members’ offices, over 60 statutory and standing committees, 26 House and Senate departments and/or sectional offices; and to the general public. It was established with assistance from international partners, notably the United States’ House of Representatives through USAID and NDI.
It was inaugurated in 2011 by the current president while serving as President of the Liberian Senate. The joint service department observes its 15th Anniversary this year.
- McCarthy Weh, II
Director
