Petition Statement by Concerned Workers of the Liberia News Agency (LINA) Relating to Critical Issues Affecting the workforce of LINA
Presented to:
Members of the Liberian Senate/House of Representatives Committees on Information, Broadcasting and Communications.
December 11, 2025.
As the central news collection arm of the state, the Liberia News Agency (LINA) has for the past two years suffered serious stagnation due to the lack of resources for its management to run the affairs of the institution.
Despite a budget allocations/transfer of over US$700,000 for LINA as contained in the 2024 and 2025 national budgets, there has been limited utilization or impact of these funds for the agency’s activities over the past two years.
This, alongside other critical challenges, including the lack of a functional website, require urgent intervention, we respectfully request the relevant authority of the Legislature to intervene as a way of restoring the state-owned news agency to vibrancy.
We called on the Legislature to note and address the following counts:
1. Non-Utilization of over US$700,000 Budget Allocations (FY 2024 & FY 2025) For LINA Operations: The allocation of over US$700, 000 for LINA remains in limbo for two consecutive years, crippling our operations. We urgently seek clarification on the status of these funds and request your intervention to ensure the funds are used for the intended purposes, including: Restoring LINA’s non-functional website. Addressing operational and logistical challenges. Supporting news gathering and dissemination activities, among others.
2. LINA’s Non-Functional Website: The agency’s website, crucial for news dissemination, has been non-functional for almost two years, because of the Ministry’s refusal to allocate funds for the website, limiting our outreach. LINA is the only news agency in the African region, probably in the world without a website.
3. Operational Challenges: Lack of essential equipment, training, and welfare support.
4. An audit by General Auditing Commission (GAC) of the status or expenditure of the budgetary transfer to LINA for 2024 and 2025 by the authorities of the Ministry of Information.
5. Employees at LINA are Civil Servants and we do our jobs based on the editorial mandate ascribed to the agency. We cannot be held liable for the actions of the past government or past leadership of the Agency. All we want is do our jobs and not be mixed in the politics of old and new and as such Minister Jerolinmek M. Piah must be cautioned against making general comments that paint LINA’s workforce as collaborators of the past regime.
6. In closing, we appeal to senators and representatives, to please help us find answers as to what happened to LINA’s 2024 and 2025 budget allocations in the tune of close to one million U.S. dollars
We appreciate the Legislature for receiving our petition and we look forward to a speedy redress to our concerns.
Thank you.
SIGNED
Concerned LINA Employees
Contact: 0888454951/0778613637
