NEC-Liberia Executive Director Advances A Decentralized Media Accreditation for Elections

Ganta City, Nimba County | January 14, 2025 | The Executive Director and Head of Secretariat of the National Elections Commission of Liberia (NEC-Liberia), Mr. Anthony K. Sengbe, says he foresees working closely with the Press Union of Liberia (PUL) to decentralize the accreditation of journalists during future elections across the country.

Mr. Sengbe, strongly emphasized that the decentralization of media accreditation in elections will further enhance transparency and inclusiveness.

He stressed that going forward, the process should be decentralized and conducted more smoothly to accommodate both local and international journalists nationwide.

The NEC Executive Director made the recommendation on Tuesday, 13 January 2026, while delivering remarks on behalf of the Commission at the close of the three-day Media–Security Conference on the review of the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for elections, held in Ganta, Nimba County.

Mr. Sengbe recalled that the NEC has effectively coordinated with development partners, the media, and the security sector to maintain peace and stability during previous elections.

However, he stressed the need for stronger coordination with the Press Union of Liberia and other media institutions to further strengthen media–security collaboration.

“To enhance the electoral process, Liberia needs to adopt early voting for security personnel, media practitioners, and electoral staff, as practiced by other Electoral Management Bodies -EMBs, including Ghana,” the NEC Executive Director re-emphasized.

He further disclosed that the Commission is transitioning toward a technology-driven electoral system and is in the process of validating its five-year Strategic Plan covering 2026–2030.

The regional Media–Security Conference, held in Zwedru, Buchanan, and Ganta, was implemented by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) under the Liberia Electoral Support Project (LESP), with support from the European Union, Irish Aid, and Sweden, in partnership with NEC-Liberia, the Press Union of Liberia, the Liberia National Police, and the Peacebuilding Office (PBO).

The Ganta session was climaxed with a media interaction led by the NEC Communications Section with the Executive Director, the Press Union of Liberia (PUL), UNDP-Liberia Electoral Support Project and participating journalists.