Greenbelt, Maryland, USA – Liberia’s Minister of Finance and Development Planning, Augustine Kpehe Ngafuan, has announced that the government has begun settling long-standing debts owed to Liberian media institutions — part of a broader effort to promote press freedom, restore financial trust, and treat the media as a legitimate business sector.
Speaking Saturday at the 13th National Convention of the Association of Liberian Journalists in the Americas (ALJA) in Greenbelt, Maryland, Minister Ngafuan said the Boakai administration considers a free, financially independent media critical to Liberia’s democracy and economic growth.
“When government fails to pay the media, it suffocates the media,” Ngafuan declared. “We can’t talk about a free press when the very institutions that inform our people are financially strangled.”
The Finance Minister disclosed that the Ministry of Finance has already begun auditing and verifying outstanding arrears owed to newspapers, radio stations, and online outlets for public information and advertising services rendered to various government ministries and agencies.
“We inherited a long list of unpaid bills — some stretching back years,” Ngafuan said. “We are now cleaning that up through a transparent verification process, so that legitimate media houses can receive what they are owed, and future payments can be made regularly and on time.”
Ngafuan emphasized that under President Joseph Nyuma Boakai’s leadership, the government is reforming its financial management systems to prevent the accumulation of arrears, particularly to key sectors like the media that serve the public good.
He added that the Ministry is also exploring a policy framework to ensure all government communications and advertisements are channeled through a centralized, transparent process to avoid political favoritism in the distribution of public information contracts.
“Media institutions are not beggars; they are businesses that employ Liberians, pay taxes, and contribute to national stability,” Ngafuan noted. “When they are treated fairly, democracy grows stronger.”
The Minister urged media owners to use payments wisely — prioritizing staff welfare, ethical training, and institutional growth. He said the Ministry of Finance will continue to engage with the Press Union of Liberia (PUL) and the Independent Media Owners Association to build a sustainable working relationship grounded in accountability and mutual respect.
The ALJA convention, which concludes Sunday, has drawn journalists, policymakers, and media stakeholders from across the U.S. and Liberia for high-level discussions on journalism ethics, national development, and diaspora engagement.
