Local Voices Liberia

14/08/2025

: Montserrado County Senator Saah Joseph claimed he received more votes in Montserrado County than former President George Weah during the 2023 elections.
We have verified this claim by reviewing the 2023 Senatorial Election in Montserrado County published by the National Elections Commission.

This is what we found:

In Summary: Montserrado County Senator Saah Joseph claimed he received more votes in Montserrado County than former President George Weah during the 2023 elections. We have verified this claim by reviewing the 2023 Senatorial Election in Montserrado County published by the National Elections Commiss...

12/08/2025

: In this edition of the , we checked if Montserrado County Senator, Saah Joseph, obtained more votes than former president George Weah in the 2023 elections, and if the child mortality rate is "nearly 1 in 10 children" as claimed in a SPOON TV LIVE report posted to Facebook on August 4. And we also checked a claim by Nimba County lawmaker Taa Wongbe that "over 70% of Liberians are farmers.”

🎧 Listen to the full breakdown of our fact checks in the attached audio.

This fact-check report is part of a media partnership aimed at promoting information integrity and countering disinformation in Liberia, supported by the Liberia Media Empowerment Project (LMEP), which is implemented by Internews in Liberia with funding from the European Union in Liberia.

📲 Follow for nonpartisan, fact-based information.
📞 Tipline: 0777556296
🌍 More: www.localvoicesliberia.com

12/08/2025

: Former Finance Minister Samuel D Tweah Jr. has claimed that the CDC administration secured all financing for major road networks and signed a 10-year electricity financing agreement with the World Bank.

Our fact check reveals that while the CDC administration did secure financing for several major road projects with international partners, not all major corridors had full funding by the end of the administration. Some remained in negotiation or unfunded.

Regarding Mr. Tweah's claim about the electricity sector, the CDC administration initiated a 10-year National Electrification Strategy supported by the World Bank, but did not sign the agreement in full.

The agreement is the multi-phase Liberia Electricity Sector Strengthening and Access Project, valued at approximately $190 million.

Read our full fact check report here:

In Summary: Former Finance Minister Samuel D. Tweah Jr. has claimed that the CDC administration secured all financing for major road networks and signed a 10-year electricity financing agreement with the World Bank. Our fact check reveals that while the CDC administration did secure financing for se...

12/08/2025

: A Nimba County Lawmaker claims 70% of Liberians are farmers as he aimed to support a recent Executive Order restricting the export of unprocessed rubber.

However, relevant data published by the Liberia Institute of Statistics and Geo-Information Services - Lisgis (LISGIS), World Bank Africa, and other major actors of the agriculture sector show otherwise.

We checked but found no evidence to back Representative Taa Wongbe’s assertion about the percentage of Liberians who are farmers.

In Summary: A Nimba County Lawmaker claims 70% of Liberians are farmers as he aimed to support a recent Executive Order restricting the export of unprocessed rubber However, relevant data published by LISGIS, World Bank and other major actors of the agriculture sectors show otherwise We checked but....

11/08/2025

: In this edition of the , we verified a claim by former Vice President Jewel Howard-Taylor about an increase in the national budget to almost $800 million -- the highest since 2006. We also checked if there's an increase in the Nimba County population from 468,088 in 2008 to 621,841 in 2022.

🎧 Listen to the full breakdown of our fact checks in the attached audio.

This fact-check report is part of a media partnership aimed at promoting information integrity and countering disinformation in Liberia, supported by the Liberia Media Empowerment Project (LMEP), which is implemented by Internews in Liberia with funding from the European Union in Liberia.

📲 Follow for nonpartisan, fact-based information.
📞 Tipline: 0777556296
🌍 More: www.localvoicesliberia.com

05/08/2025

FactCheck: Deputy Presidential Press Secretary Joseph Vallai claimed that the administration of President Joseph Nyuma Boakai Sr has allocated more funds to the agriculture budget in two years compared to the former administration of George Weah five fiscal years combined.

We have verified this claim by reviewing the National Budgets published by the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning covering fiscal years 2018 through 2025.

We found that while the Boakai administration is prioritizing spending on agriculture with higher annual allocations, the total amount over two years remains less than the sum during the previous administration.

In Summary: Deputy Presidential Press Secretary Joseph Vallai claimed that the administration of President Joseph Boakai has allocated more funds to the agriculture budget in two years compared to the former administration of George Weah’s 5 fiscal years combined We have verified this claim by rev...

05/08/2025

: In this edition of the , we verified if produces less than 150,000 metric tons of rubber annually as claimed by the Minister of Ministry of Agriculture Liberia - MOA Liberia on SPOON TV LIVE and also checked if the Technical Environmental Focal Person of the Paynesville City Corporation got his fact right when he claimed that the city has a population of approximately 700,000.

🎧 Listen to the full breakdown of our fact checks in the attached audio.

This fact-check report is part of a media partnership aimed at promoting information integrity and countering disinformation in Liberia, supported by the Liberia Media Empowerment Project (LMEP), which is implemented by Internews in Liberia with funding from the European Union in Liberia.

📲 Follow for nonpartisan, fact-based information.
📞 Tipline: 0777556296
🌍 More: www.localvoicesliberia.com

01/08/2025

: In the final edition of the for this week, we verified a claim by Unity Party Stalwart Mo Ali about an increase in budgetary support to Liberia's main anti-graft institution (Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission LACC) and an assertion about the price of a bag of rice during the administration of former president George Weah.

🎧 Listen to the full breakdown of our fact checks in the attached audio.

This fact-check report is part of a media partnership aimed at promoting information integrity and countering disinformation in Liberia, supported by the Liberia Media Empowerment Project (LMEP), which is implemented by Internews in Liberia with funding from the European Union in Liberia.

📲 Follow for nonpartisan, fact-based information.
📞 Tipline: 0777556296
🌍 More: www.localvoicesliberia.com

31/07/2025

: In this edition of the , we verified two claims and here's what we found:

💰 Claim 1: Minister of the Ministry of Information, Cultural Affairs & Tourism (MICAT), Jerelimick Piah claimed during a press briefing that the Liberia Revenue Authority (LRA) collected US$1million above its domestic revenue target from January to July 2025.

📊 Verdict: Correct

📄 Evidence: Although LRA's 1st Quarter report showed a US$22 million shortfall, the LRA later confirmed that as of July 16, it had collected US$440.3 million against a target of US$439.3 million -- an overperformance of US$1 million.

✅ Conclusion: Minister Piah’s statement is correct, based on official data provided by LRA.

📉 Claim 2: Mr. Anderson Miamen, the head of the Center for Transparency and Accountability in Liberia (CENTAL) claimed on OKFM 99.5 & OKTV during an interview that the Government is spending almost 40% of the national budget on public administration, 1% on commerce & industry, and 13.6% on education.

📊 Verdict: Correct

📑 Evidence: A review of the approved national budget confirms that Public Administration takes 39.8%, Commerce & Industry gets 1%, and Education receives 13.6% of the national budget.

✅ Conclusion: Mr. Miamen’s figures match official budget allocations.

🎧 Listen to the full breakdown of our fact checks in the attached audio.

This fact-check report is part of a media partnership aimed at promoting information integrity and countering disinformation in Liberia, supported by the Liberia Media Empowerment Project (LMEP), which is implemented by Internews in Liberia with funding from the European Union in Liberia.

📲 Follow for nonpartisan, fact-based information.
📞 Tipline: 0777556296
🌍 More: www.localvoicesliberia.com

29/07/2025

: A Stalwart of the Unity Party, Mo Ali claims in a Facebook post that the IRISE project, which has seen the construction and dedication of modern schools in B**g and Nimba Counties, was initiated toward the end of the second term of the first Unity Party administration.

We've fact-checked this claim by reviewing relevant documents relevant to the project overview, financing, and implementation details retrieved from the World Bank project database.

We found no evidence to back Mr. Ali’s claim about the project.

In Summary: A Stawart of the Unity Party, Moi Ali, has claimed that the IRISE project was initiated towards the end of the second term of the first Unity Party administration We fact check this claim by reviewing relevant documents regarding the project overview, financing, and implementation detail...

29/07/2025

: Here's the latest edition of the . In this edition, we verified two claims:

Claim 1: A critic of the government, Jefferson Chesson, who is also a former Assistant Minister of Public Works, in a Facebook post claimed that Liberia lost the Millennium Challenge Corporation - MCC Compact due to corruption, police brutality, and bad governance, while Sierra Leone's Compact was approved

📊 Verdict: Misleading

🌐 Evidence: The MCC has not accused Liberia of these issues. In fact, Liberia was selected in December 2024 to develop a Compact for FY2025 and remains in the development process.
Also, Sierra Leone, The Gambia, Senegal, and Togo signed their MCC Compacts for FY2024, not FY2025. G

✅ Conclusion: Liberia did not lose the MCC Compact. Chesson’s claim is inaccurate and misrepresents MCC’s official position.

🎓 Claim 2: Mo Ali, a stalwart of the Unity Party and Managing Director of The Liberia Water and Sewer Corporation, claims that the IRISE Education Project was initiated during former President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf’s second term (2011–2017).

📊 Verdict: Misleading

📚 Evidence: The World Bank Africa first disclosed the IRISE Project in April 2019, during the CDC administration, and later approved and signed it in July 2019. ✅ The project was initiated in the second year of former President George Weah, not during the Sirleaf administration as claimed by Mr. Ali.

🎧 Listen to the full breakdown of our fact checks in the attached audio.

This fact-check report is part of a media partnership aimed at promoting information integrity and countering disinformation in Liberia, supported by the Liberia Media Empowerment Project (LMEP), which is implemented by Internews in Liberia with funding from the European Union in Liberia.

📲 Follow for nonpartisan, fact-based information.
📞 Tipline: 0777556296
🌍 More: www.localvoicesliberia.com

28/07/2025

: Former Finance Minister Samuel D Tweah Jr. claimed that prices of basic commodities were 12.48% higher under the Unity Party administration between January 2024 and June 2025 compared to the Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC) administration.

Tweah cited the Liberia Institute of Statistics and Geo-Information Services (LISGIS) Consumer Price Index (CPI) data to support this claim, using an example where an item costing LD$100 under the CDC would cost LD$112.48 under the UP.

We verified his claim by reviewing the LISGIS CPI data, which shows that the CPI rose from 696.82 in January 2024 to 783.2 in June 2025, reflecting a 12.4% increase.

In Summary: Former Finance Minister Samuel Tweah Jr. claimed that prices of basic commodities were 12.48% higher under the Unity Party administration between January 2024 and June 2025 compared to the Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC) administration. Tweah cited the Liberia Institute of Statisti...