Liberia has taken a major step toward strengthening its public financial management system as the Public Financial Management Reform Coordination Unit (RCU) at the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning (MFDP) concluded a comprehensive review of the country’s Public Expenditure and Financial Accountability (PEFA) assessment frameworks.
The five-day review, held from October 6 to 10, 2026, focused on evaluating progress made since Liberia’s last PEFA assessment, identifying remaining institutional and operational challenges, and refining the country’s PEFA Improvement Roadmap ahead of the next assessment cycle.
The exercise forms part of Liberia’s broader four-year Public Financial Management (PFM) reform agenda and is expected to guide preparations for the country’s upcoming PEFA++ assessment.
Opening the workshop, PFM Reform Coordination Unit National Coordinator Joseph K. Fahnbulleh outlined the key objectives of the review. He said participants examined findings from the previous PEFA assessment, assessed Liberia’s readiness to incorporate gender-responsive and climate-responsive budgeting practices, and reviewed the existing PEFA Improvement Roadmap to ensure it aligns with current reform priorities.
According to Fahnbulleh, the review provided an opportunity for government institutions to evaluate reforms undertaken since the last assessment, validate reported achievements, and identify areas where performance gaps remain.
“This process allows us to assess the effectiveness of reforms already implemented while identifying priority areas that require additional action,” he noted.
He emphasized that the review must remain closely aligned with Liberia’s Public Financial Management Strategy and Action Plan (PFMSAP) 2024–2027, ensuring that reform commitments translate into measurable and sustainable institutional improvements.
A significant component of the exercise involved assessing Liberia’s preparedness for gender-responsive and climate-responsive public financial management systems. The review examined whether government policies, budget processes, institutional arrangements, operational systems, and supporting documentation adequately reflect gender equality and climate considerations in public finance decision-making.
Officials believe this assessment will help uncover policy and capacity gaps while identifying opportunities to strengthen budgetary planning and resource allocation in response to emerging social and environmental priorities.
Fahnbulleh also acknowledged the support of the African Development Bank (AfDB) and the Pan African Federation of Accountants (PAFA) through the Strengthening PAFA and PFM Resilience in Africa (SPRA) Project.
He disclosed that Liberia has secured US$150,000 in support of its forthcoming PEFA assessment, funding that will facilitate preparations and implementation of the next phase of the country’s public financial management performance evaluation.
The RCU Coordinator urged participating institutions to provide credible evidence to support reported reform achievements, identify existing documentation and capacity deficiencies, and take collective ownership of agreed actions emerging from the review process.
He stressed that the exercise is not solely aimed at improving Liberia’s PEFA ratings but is intended to strengthen the overall management of public resources.
“Our objective goes beyond assessment scores,” Fahnbulleh emphasized. “It is about promoting transparency, accountability, fiscal discipline, and improving public service delivery for the benefit of all Liberians.”
The workshop brought together representatives from key public financial management and oversight institutions, including the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning, Ministry of Local Government, Public Accounts Committee, General Auditing Commission (GAC), Internal Audit Agency (IAA), Public Procurement and Concessions Commission (PPCC), Ministry of State, and civil society organizations.
Participants reviewed the seven pillars of the PEFA framework and assessed progress against the 31 performance indicators established under the PEFA 2016 methodology. Discussions focused on validating completed reforms, identifying unfinished actions, and aligning outstanding priorities with Liberia’s national public financial management strategy.
The review concluded with a renewed commitment to coordinated institutional action, evidence-based reporting, and sustained implementation of reform priorities.
As Liberia prepares for its next PEFA assessment, the refined improvement roadmap is expected to serve as a key instrument for tracking reform progress, strengthening institutional accountability, and advancing the objectives of the PFMSAP 2024–2027.
Ultimately, officials say the reforms are aimed at building a more transparent, accountable, resilient, and efficient public financial management system capable of supporting national development goals and ensuring that public resources are managed in the best interests of the Liberian people.
