-WASH Commission Discloses
By Jessica Cox
MONROVIA – Approximately 34 percent of Liberians continue to practice open defecation, according to figures cited by the National Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) Commission. Officials of the entity say this underscored the scale of the challenge facing the sector more than a decade after the regulatory body was established.
Speaking during a Ministry of Information press conference, Executive Director Morris G. Gono outlined progress made in strengthening sector governance while acknowledging persistent challenges related to sanitation, funding, infrastructure, and institutional capacity.
The National WASH Commission, established by an Act of the Legislature in 2012 and fully operationalized years later, serves as the country’s lead regulatory and coordinating body for water, sanitation, and hygiene activities. Its mandate includes policy coordination, regulatory oversight, sector monitoring, and collaboration with government institutions and development partners.
Liberia works toward achieving universal access to safe water, sanitation, and hygiene services by 2030 in line with Sustainable Development Goal Six. At the center of the Commission’s current reform efforts is the proposed Presidential WASH Compact, a governance framework designed to improve coordination across the sector. According to Gono, responsibilities for water, sanitation, and hygiene services remain spread across multiple government entities, including the Ministries of Health, Public Works, Education, and Mines and Energy, as well as the Liberia Water and Sewer Corporation and local government authorities.
The Commission argues that the fragmented structure has contributed to overlapping mandates, inconsistent standards, and weakened accountability. Gono disclosed that the proposed compact has already been submitted to President Joseph Nyuma Boakai, who has instructed a committee to review the document before further action is taken. The Commission believes the compact could help streamline sector oversight, improve coordination among institutions, strengthen service delivery, and enhance planning for climate resilience, groundwater protection, and emergency response.
Beyond governance reforms, the Commission has recently entered into several partnerships aimed at addressing long-standing challenges in the sector.
The Commission has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Kijani Group to support the provision of safe drinking water in rural communities. According to the Commission, the initiative is expected to generate carbon credits that could eventually be traded on international carbon markets, creating a potential financing mechanism for water-related projects.
Discussions are reportedly ongoing with Liberia’s carbon authority to align the initiative with the country’s broader carbon framework. The Commission has also signed an agreement with Catholic Relief Services (CRS) to develop a centralized national WASH data system. Officials say WASH-related data are currently scattered across several ministries and agencies, making it difficult for policymakers, researchers, and development partners to access comprehensive information.
The proposed platform aims to consolidate data into
a single national system. Another partnership has been established with World Vision International to continue water and sanitation projects in several communities previously supported under donor-funded initiatives.
Commission officials described sector coordination as improving, citing increased participation by government institutions and development partners in national WASH planning and coordination meetings.
At the same time, officials acknowledged that decentralization remains a major challenge. While the Commission currently maintains a sub-office in Buchanan, resource constraints have limited its ability to establish offices across all counties. To address this gap, the Commission is working through county health structures, environmental health technicians, and local government service delivery centers to implement programs outside Monrovia.
Officials stressed that although the Commission may not have a physical presence in every county, WASH activities continue through existing government structures and partnerships. The Commission is also playing a leading role in a nationwide sanitary inspection exercise launched this year under the direction of President Boakai. The inspection campaign, coordinated by the Ministry of Health through an Inter-Agency Joint Task Force on Food Safety and Sanitary Inspection, brings together several government institutions to inspect hotels, restaurants, catering facilities, water production factories, and other public establishments.
Under the arrangement, the Ministry of Health serves as the lead coordinating institution, the Liberia Revenue Authority manages secretariat functions, while the National WASH Commission leads field inspection activities. Officials say the inspections, which began on June 11, are intended to improve sanitation standards, strengthen regulatory compliance, and enhance public health protections.
Despite these efforts, the sanitation figures underscore the magnitude of the challenge ahead. With roughly one-third of Liberia’s population still practicing open defecation and many communities lacking access to adequate sanitation facilities, the Commission faces growing pressure to translate policy reforms, partnerships, and coordination efforts into measurable improvements on the ground.
