MONROVIA – The Government of Liberia has officially launched the National Decentralization Support Unit (NDSU), a new institutional mechanism aimed at strengthening coordination and accelerating the implementation of decentralization reforms across the country.
Speaking at the official launch on Monday, January 19, 2026, at the Ministry of Local Government, Local Government Minister Francis Sakila Nyumalin described the establishment of the NDSU as “a significant milestone in Liberia’s decentralization journey,” noting that the Unit is designed to support and coordinate reforms nationwide in collaboration with sector ministries, agencies, and commissions.
Nyumalin emphasized that decentralization is not the responsibility of a single institution but a collective government-wide transformation agenda. “This launch reflects our collective recognition that decentralization is neither a stand-alone reform nor the responsibility of a single institution,” he said, stressing the need for sustained coordination and collaboration across all sectors of government.
He recalled that the Local Government Act of 2018 provides the legal foundation for political, administrative, and fiscal decentralization, and that while progress has been made in establishing local governance structures, challenges remain in ensuring effective implementation. According to him, experience has shown that laws and institutions alone are insufficient without strong coordination mechanisms.
“The critical gap the National Decentralization Support Unit is designed to fill is coordination,” Nyumalin stated, adding that the NDSU will ensure that sector reforms are aligned, properly sequenced, and mutually reinforcing.
The Minister explained that the NDSU will serve as the central technical and coordination hub for decentralization reforms across government. Its mandate, he said, is to support, guide, and harmonize decentralization efforts among all sector ministries, agencies, and commissions represented on the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Decentralization (IMCD) and the Program Management Board (PMB).
Nyumalin clarified that the NDSU does not replace the statutory responsibilities of existing institutions. “It exists to strengthen collaboration, promote policy coherence, and support effective implementation of decentralization reforms in line with national priorities,” he said.
Under the policy leadership of the IMCD and the operational oversight of the PMB, Nyumalin said the NDSU will coordinate decentralization policies and programs, provide technical support to sector institutions and sub-national authorities, monitor and report on implementation progress, support capacity development at national and local levels, and promote alignment with the Local Government Act of 2018.
He stressed that active participation by all sector ministries, agencies, and commissions is essential to the success of decentralization. “Every MAC represented on the IMCD and PMB is a co-owner of Liberia’s decentralization agenda,” Nyumalin said, warning that the reform will only succeed if decentralization is fully integrated into sector planning, budgeting, and service delivery systems.
The Minister further noted that decentralization is central to President Joseph Nyuma Boakai’s governance vision and called for renewed collective commitment to ensuring its success. He emphasized that counties and local authorities must be fully empowered to carry out devolved responsibilities if decentralization is to deliver tangible benefits.
Addressing the fiscal dimension of decentralization, Nyumalin recalled that the Local Government Act of 2018 requires financial resources to accompany devolved responsibilities. In this regard, he called on President Boakai to appoint the Local Government Fiscal Board to ensure that decentralization remains “affordable, accountable, and irreversible.”
According to Nyumalin, the Fiscal Board is mandated to provide a controlled pathway for county fiscal autonomy, strengthen integrity and accountability, and protect national fiscal stability. He described the Board as “the financial backbone of Liberia’s decentralization drive” and said its establishment is non-negotiable for sustainable reform.
He concluded that the launch of the NDSU signals a decisive shift from fragmented efforts to coordinated action, shared accountability, and measurable results. “As we launch the National Decentralization Support Unit today, we reaffirm Government’s commitment to strengthening local governance, improving service delivery, and ensuring that decentralization delivers real and lasting benefits to the Liberian people,” Nyumalin said, formally declaring the NDSU officially launched.
