MONROVIA, LIBERIA – The Reporters Association of Liberia (RAL) has disclosed that its new leadership inherited an association with virtually no funds in its historical bank accounts and without fixed property, prompting an early push to restore its financial and institutional systems.
The disclosure forms part of a consolidated transition and early progress report covering July and August 2026 released by the association under the leadership of President J. H. Webster Clayeh.
Clayeh’s administration assumed office on July 10 following RAL’s seventh inauguration in Monrovia and has since undertaken a review of the association’s administrative and financial records.
According to the report, former RAL President Willie N. Tokpah submitted a turnover report on July 22 covering his administration from November 2022 to July 2026.
Tokpah’s administration reported approximately US$2,800 in funds mobilized and utilized during its tenure, in addition to US$1,600 received from a partner to support the association’s recent electoral process.
The former leadership also reported providing US$80 for communication and coordination connected to the current administration’s induction ceremony, while identifying US$50 as the remaining cash balance.
The current leadership said it subsequently moved to establish the actual status of RAL’s institutional bank accounts.
The review found that the association had existing U.S. dollar and Liberian dollar savings accounts at the Liberia Bank for Development and Investment (LBDI), despite the previous administration reporting that it did not receive an operational RAL bank account when it took office in 2022.
Historical statements obtained from LBDI showed balances of just US$0.09 in the dollar account and L$13,783.16 in the Liberian dollar account.
The records also contained transactions associated with former RAL Secretary-General Mark N. Mengonfia during the administration of Cecelia G. Clarke. The current leadership stressed that those transactions predated the Tokpah administration.
With the association’s Financial Secretary leading the process, the two accounts have now been reactivated, according to the report.
RAL said restoring the accounts provides an institutional channel through which association funds can be deposited, recorded and managed under a formal banking structure.
The financial disclosures form part of what the new administration describes as its commitment to transparency and accountability.
Clayeh had pledged during his inauguration to run an open and inclusive administration while placing particular emphasis on the welfare, protection and professional development of reporters.
The leadership has also completed what it described as the RAL Seventh Inaugural Financial Report and shared the detailed breakdown with members through the association’s internal communication platform.
The financial review comes alongside a broader assessment of the institution inherited by the new leadership.
RAL said it currently has approximately 550 members but owns no land, office building or other fixed property. The association continues to benefit from office space at the headquarters of the Press Union of Liberia.
The report places the association’s current institutional rebuilding effort against this backdrop of limited financial resources and an absence of permanent property.
Rather than presenting the transition solely as a financial accounting exercise, the leadership says the disclosure is intended to give members an opportunity to examine the available records and determine whether further action is warranted.
The administration has pledged to continue strengthening financial management, institutional development, resource mobilization and partnerships as it works to build a more sustainable organization for reporters across Liberia.
The disclosure also signals a deliberate attempt by the new leadership to establish financial transparency early in its tenure, with the administration acknowledging that nearly two months into office, significant work remains.
