Author: Rural Reporters News Network
By: Henry Gboluma | Gbarpolu Correspondent Bopolu City, Gbarpolu County |April 18, 2026| The House Committee on Mines and Energy has ordered the temporary closure of BAO CHICO Mining Company after a scathing oversight visit on April 18, 2026, uncovered what lawmakers called “serious violations” of the Mineral Development Agreement signed with the Liberian Government in March 2022. Led by Committee Chairman Hon. Jeremiah Garwo Sokan Sr., Grand Gedeh County District #1 Representative, the delegation toured BAO CHICO’s two mining plants, extractive areas, and the prefab Chinese camp at the Gokala site. What they found was damning and unnerving. Company…
By: Geeplay Ezekiel Geeplay | Contributing Writer Sinoe County, Liberia |April 18, 2026|A citizens’ group in Sinoe County is calling on the Forestry Development Authority (FDA) to immediately conduct new elections for the Tartweh-Drapoh Authorized Forest Community leadership, claiming the current officials’ tenure has expired and their continued stay violates Liberia’s Community Forest Law. In a letter dated March 27, 2026, addressed to Madam Weedor Gray, Technical Manager of the Community Forest Department at the FDA, the Concerned Citizens Movement (CCM) of Tartweh-Drapoh Authorized Forest Community, Kpanyan Statutory District, said the Community Assembly, Executive Committee, and Community Forest Management Body…
By T. Ezekiel Geeplay | Contributing Writer Monrovia, Liberia |April 18, 2026| Liberia is moving to create a national system that could reward households and businesses for using clean energy, as the Rural and Renewable Energy Agency (RREA) held high-level talks this week with the Carbon Market Authority (CMA) and energy advisory firm Nextier. The meeting, held on April 16, 2026, brought together RREA officials, CMA CEO Madam Jeanine Cooper and her team, and Mr. Umar Nuhu Mohammed, CEO of Nextier. Discussions centered on accelerating renewable energy adoption and positioning Liberia to benefit from global carbon markets. A key outcome…
By: Geeplay Ezekiel Geeplay| Contributing Writer Monrovia, Liberia |April 18, 2026|The application process for the government’s highly anticipated Content Creator Training Program officially opened Tuesday, with a steady stream of applicants turning out to secure one of the 150 slots allotted for the in-house training. The program, spearheaded by the Ministry of Information (MOI), is part of a national initiative to build digital skills and empower Liberian creators to produce professional, marketable content. Day One of the application process saw a few folks arriving early to begin registration, according to officials at the Ministry. With only 150 spaces available for…
By: Henry B. Gboluma, Jr. | Gbarpolu Correspondent Palakwelleh Town, Gbarpolu County |April 17, 2026|Women in Guo Nwolailai District say they walk over three hours to reach the only functioning clinic in the district, with some pregnant women giving birth on the road or in the hands of untrained community members. Now they are pleading for help to complete a self-initiated clinic project that has stalled for almost ten years, just doors and finishing work away from serving over 17,000 residents. The clinic, started in 2017 by citizens from the district now living in the Americas, sits zinc-roofed, plastered, and…
By Ernest Kpehe Moibah Several women in Bomi County say they have been sidelined from a World Bank and the Government of Liberia backed $44.6 Million women’s empowerment program. Women leaders of multiple village savings and loan associations across Bomi County have accused County Gender Coordinator Miatta Monger of excluding their groups from the empowerment initiative. They alleged that the recruitment process has been politicized, favoring certain individuals while leaving out established grassroots women organizations. One women’s group leader, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said she had been sent by fellow members to seek clarity on their eligibility, but…
By: Ernest Kpehe Moibah | Bomi Correspondent Bomi County, Liberia |April 17, 2026 |Plans to elevate Bomi Community College to a full university are facing serious financial hurdles, despite progress toward finalizing a transition roadmap expected within the next three weeks. College President Dr. Norman, speaking in an exclusive interview, disclosed that while the institution is nearing completion of its strategic plan to become a Western Region University, the lack of adequate funding remains the biggest obstacle. According to Dr. Norman, the transformation will require an estimated US$5 million to fully launch Bachelor of Science (BSc) programs; an amount he…
The Liberian health sector is currently embroiled in a silent but high-stakes “gold rush.” On one side lies the Red Gold of clinical medicine—the vital, life-saving work at the bedside. On the other lies the White Gold of public health—the domain of data, international funding, and national policy. A dangerous trend has emerged: clinicians are increasingly abandoning their stethoscopes in pursuit of prestigious White Gold administrative roles, often without the necessary transition in scientific training. This is not merely a professional shift; it is a growing crisis of credibility that threatens the safety and wellbeing of the Liberian people as…
By: J. Mason Kollie | Lofa Correspondent Betibah Town, Voinjama District, Lofa County |April 16, 2026|Report from Betibah Town, Voinjama district says, residents are demanding the outright departure of a mining company without permit and other proper documentations as well as formal memorandum of understanding, currently mining gold and other kinds of precious minerals in the area. The people Betibah are of the view that the company is operating illegally with nothing to show or prove. Thus, they believe this is wrong and unacceptable and want local authority and national government to immediately intervene in the present onslaught in their…
By: D Abraham Cooper, Sr. | Grand Gedeh Correspondent Zwedru City, Grand Gedeh County |April 16, 2026|Public health inspectors in Grand Gedeh County led by Mr. Ezekiel Weyea have shut down a local water purification facility following a surprise sanitary inspection which uncovered a deceptive and unregulated packaging scheme. During a routine sweep of Zwedru’s sanitation facilities on Monday, April 13, 2026 a county inspection team discovered Bless Mineral Water Factory producing and distributing water using unauthorized plastic packaging. The investigation revealed that Bless Mineral Water Factory had exhausted its own branded packaging. Rather than halting production, the facility began…
