The Government of Liberia and the World Bank have officially launched the $30 million Government Reform and Accountability Transformation (GREAT) Project, aimed at improving public service access, tax collection, and transparency in governance.
Funded under the World Bank’s IDA Credit, the six-year initiative aligns with the Government’s ARREST Agenda for Inclusive Development by enhancing efficiency and accountability in public institutions.
The project is designed to digitize government services, making essential public services more accessible to citizens through an expanded e-Liberia portal and upgraded ICT infrastructure at County Service Centers (CSCs). It also seeks to strengthen the National Identification System to streamline service delivery.
A key focus of the initiative is financial reform, including introducing a Value-Added Tax (VAT) system to boost revenue generation and expanding property tax collection efforts. The project aims to modernize Liberia’s tax administration for greater efficiency by integrating interoperable tax systems.
To address transparency and accountability, the GREAT Project will introduce an audit tracking system to improve financial oversight, expand the Government’s electronic procurement system (e-GP) for fairer public contracts, and establish an anti-corruption dashboard to monitor key reforms. Additionally, an asset declaration and verification system will be implemented to enhance accountability among public officials.
Capacity building is another major component, with civil servants set to receive training to ensure long-term sustainability of governance reforms. The initiative also includes a change management strategy to support seamless policy execution and public engagement through citizen surveys and third-party audits.
The project, which involves nine government ministries and agencies, including the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning (MFDP), Liberia Revenue Authority (LRA), and General Auditing Commission (GAC), is structured into four key components. Enhancing public services receives the largest allocation of $13 million, while tax revenue reforms are supported with $6.4 million. Accountability and transparency efforts are funded with $7.6 million, and $3 million is dedicated to implementation and capacity building.
Speaking at the launch, Oyewole Afuye, Acting World Bank Country Manager for Liberia, urged ministries, agencies, and development partners to support the project’s implementation and sustain policy dialogue on governance reforms. He emphasized that the initiative represents a new model in the World Bank’s engagement with Liberia, integrating project implementation directly into government structures to enhance institutional ownership and long-term sustainability.
