In a landmark step toward institutionalizing transparency, the Governance Commission (GC) and the Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission (LACC) on Friday, February 20, 2026, convened a high-level joint technical working session in Monrovia to review the National Integrity Index.
According to a release, the session provided the GC an opportunity to provide orientation to participants on the National Integrity Index (NII), a data-driven tool designed to move Liberia from inconsistent enforcement to a measurable culture of accountability.
Opening the session, GC Acting Chairperson, Professor Alaric K. Tokpa, emphasized that the Index is not merely a “yardstick” for line ministries, but a rigorous self-assessment for integrity institutions themselves. “When we talk about an integrity index, we are talking about honesty, transparency, and ethical behavior. If we are to hold others accountable, we must first serve as the ultimate example,” he stated.
He further noted that the fight against corruption is increasingly complex and requires anti-graft bodies to act with strength and unity. Also speaking, LACC Executive Chairperson Cllr. Alexandra Kormah Zoe expressed strong support for the initiative, applauding Commissioner Matthew Ballah Kollie, Oversight Commissioner for the National Integrity System at the GC, for conceptualizing the NII.
She highlighted that the Index will be vital in measuring Liberia’s performance against international standards and improving global rankings. She also confirmed that the LACC is already conducting corruption risk assessments in high-risk institutions to provide the empirical data needed for the Index’s success.
For his part, Commissioner Matthew Ballah Kollie, who led the presentation, described the NII as a mandatory annual assessment rooted in the GC’s statutory mandate to monitor governance. He explained that the Index will rank Ministries, Agencies, Commissions (MACs), and State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs) across five critical pillars: Transparency, Accountability, Ethical Compliance, Citizen Engagement, and Institutional Capacity.
He added that the technical team will set a date for a public launch event, to be organized with media and partner participation. In his remarks, the Executive Director of the Governance Commission, Mr. Jallah C. Kesselly, commended both institutions for their historic collaboration, noting that by combining their technical expertise, the GC and LACC are “writing their way into history.”
