-At Community Radio Training on Fiscal Decentralization Opens in Buchanan
By: Laymah Kollie
BUCHANAN, Grand Bassa County — September 10, 2025: The President of the Press Union of Liberia (PUL), Julius Kanubah, has called on government and its partners to treat media capacity building as an ongoing investment rather than a one-time exercise, as a training program aimed at strengthening community radio reporting on fiscal decentralization opened here Wednesday.
Speaking at the opening ceremony organized by the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning (MFDP), Kanubah told journalists and media practitioners drawn from across the country that community radio remains the most trusted and accessible medium for connecting citizens — particularly in rural and marginalized communities — to national fiscal policy.
“Community radio is more than a channel of communication — it is a bridge between national fiscal policies and local realities,” Kanubah said, adding that the medium provides inclusive platforms for dialogue and ensures ordinary citizens are not left out of conversations about budgets, service delivery, and accountability.
The training, which brought together officials from the MFDP, the Ministry of Information, and the Ministry of Local Government, is designed to equip community radio journalists with budget literacy and skills in public finance and data-driven reporting as Liberia deepens its local governance reforms.
Officials in Attendance
The ceremony was attended by Deputy Minister for Fiscal Affairs Anthony G. Myers; Deputy Minister for Technical Services at the Ministry of Information, Nathaniel Bayjay; and Deputy Minister Edwin Mulbah of the Ministry of Local Government, along with local government officials and members of the media.
Kanubah singled out the Fiscal Decentralization Unit’s Dr. Romeo D.N. Gbartea and Mrs. Faith Hoy Holman, as well as Ministry Communication Consultant Daniel Nyakonah, for organizing the training and extending an invitation to the PUL to take part.
Challenges Facing Community Journalists
In his remarks, the PUL president outlined several obstacles confronting community radio journalists in reporting on public finance issues, including limited technical capacity to interpret fiscal data, insufficient training in investigative and accountability reporting, poor equipment and weak connectivity, and political and social pressures that threaten editorial independence.
He warned that if left unaddressed, these challenges could undermine the transparency and accountability that fiscal decentralization is meant to achieve.
Call for Broader Media Coverage
Citing an ongoing mapping of Liberia’s media landscape, Kanubah noted that the country now has close to 200 radio stations, about 50 print institutions, roughly six television stations, and numerous online outlets — many of them community-based. He urged government and partners to extend capacity-building efforts across this wider media ecosystem.
The PUL, he said, remains committed to partnering with the MFDP and local governments to improve journalists’ access to fiscal information, while reminding participants to uphold the Code of Ethics and Conduct for Journalists and Media by ensuring fairness, accuracy, and impartiality in their reporting.
Organizers say the training is expected to strengthen trust between communities, local authorities, and the national government, and to help citizens better monitor public spending as Liberia advances its fiscal decentralization agenda.
