-Ngafuan Fulfills Commitment as Government Settles All GAC-Verified Arrears Owed to Media Institutions
MONROVIA – The Ministry of Finance and Development Planning (MFDP) says it has fully settled 100 percent of all verified debts owed to Liberian media institutions that were inherited from the previous administration, marking the completion of a commitment made by Finance and Development Planning Minister Augustine Kpehe Ngafuan to clear longstanding government arrears owed to the country’s independent press.
According to the Ministry, the final tranche of payments was processed on July 2, completing the settlement of all outstanding claims that had been verified by the General Auditing Commission (GAC).
The payments covered verified obligations owed to several major media institutions, including FrontPage Africa, the Daily Observer, New Republic, Sky Communications, and numerous other eligible media organizations whose claims were audited and certified by the GAC.
“All media debt payment owed by the past government is paid 100 percent,” the Ministry said in an update, emphasizing that the payments represent the final installment of debts accumulated during the previous administration.
The Ministry further stated that “the debt of all major media entities are paid 100 percent by the MFDP, including Daily Observer, New Republic, Sky Communications, FrontPage Africa amongst others. This payment is the last tranche of the claims paid last week and these debts were incurred by the past regime.”
Promise Delivered
The announcement fulfills a public commitment made earlier this year by Minister Ngafuan, who pledged that the Boakai administration would honor all legitimate financial obligations owed to media institutions once their claims had been independently verified.
Speaking at the 13th National Convention of the Association of Liberian Journalists in the Americas (ALJA) in Maryland, United States, in 2025, Ngafuan acknowledged that delayed government payments had placed severe financial pressure on many media institutions and pledged that the government would gradually settle all verified arrears.
At the time, the Finance Minister disclosed that the Ministry had already begun paying portions of the validated claims and vowed to continue until every verified obligation had been cleared.
“To reverse this trend, we have begun to pay domestic debt to media entities whose claims for payments have been duly vetted as valid by the General Auditing Commission (GAC),” Ngafuan said then.
He added that government intended “to continue to make payments until all the claims are fully settled.”
Supporting Media Sustainability
Ngafuan has consistently argued that prompt government payments to legitimate service providers—particularly media institutions—are essential to sustaining an independent press and strengthening democratic governance.
Addressing journalists during the ALJA convention, he noted that while the media serves as society’s watchdog, media organizations are also private businesses that depend on timely payments for services rendered to government.
He warned that delayed payments undermine media operations, making it difficult for news organizations to pay employees, meet operational costs and maintain editorial independence.
“Before we proceed further, let’s not forget that the independent media is not just a watchdog of society. Media entities, especially private media entities, are also business or private sector entities,” Ngafuan said.
“If government fails or terribly delays to pay for services rendered by the media, it suffocates the media and makes it very difficult for media entities to pay their workers, cater for other bills and fully uphold their objectivity and independence.”
Claims Subjected to Independent Verification
The Ministry emphasized that only claims vetted and confirmed by the General Auditing Commission qualified for payment, underscoring the Boakai administration’s commitment to transparency and accountability in settling domestic obligations.
The verification process was intended to ensure that only legitimate claims incurred through government-approved services were honored.
By relying on GAC validation before making payments, the government sought to avoid paying unsupported or disputed claims while strengthening public confidence in the management of public finances.
Part of Broader Public Financial Reforms
The clearance of the media arrears forms part of broader reforms being pursued by the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning to improve public financial management, restore fiscal discipline and ensure that legitimate government contractors and service providers receive timely payment.
Since assuming office, Minister Ngafuan has repeatedly stressed the need to modernize payment systems, reduce bureaucratic bottlenecks and eliminate delays that have historically affected businesses providing services to government.
The Ministry has also undertaken reforms aimed at strengthening expenditure controls, improving budget execution and enhancing transparency as part of the government’s broader ARREST Agenda for Inclusive Development (AAID) and ongoing economic governance reforms supported by international development partners.
For Liberia’s media industry, the settlement represents the conclusion of years of uncertainty over unpaid government obligations and is expected to improve the financial standing of several news organizations that had long awaited payment for services rendered under the previous administration.
For more news and updates on Liberia and beyond, follow The Liberian Post on Facebook (https://web.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61576017166570) and X, formerly Twitter (https://x.com/LiberianPost).
