By By: Moses P. Smith
Monrovia – Finance Minister Augustine Kpehe Ngafuan has accused the former CDC-led government of plunging Liberia into darkness by failing to pay Ivory Coast for electricity, while warning that serving officials in the current Boakai administration who refuse to pay property taxes will be publicly embarrassed.
Speaking on ELBC Thursday, September 9, 2026, Ngafuan said the Boakai government is now cleaning up the power debt mess left behind.
“The past government did not pay money to Ivory Coast for electricity. The past government is owing Ivory Coast. The Government of President Joseph Nyuma Boakai is paying the debt left behind by the previous administration,” Ngafuan said.
He said government is working to stabilize electricity supply ahead of the dry season, a period notorious for blackouts in Monrovia and surrounding counties.
But the minister’s interview took a controversial turn when he turned the spotlight inward – on his own colleagues.
Ngafuan warned officials of the Boakai-Koung administration to settle their property taxes or risk public humiliation, disclosing that the Liberia Revenue Authority is compiling a list of defaulters.
“So, if you are in government, we are going to go out to collect government’s legitimate taxes. It’s not good for people in government not to be in compliance with their tax obligation,” he said.
“Before the list starts to come up, you can start to go to the LRA and make sure that you are in compliance,” he warned.
While Ngafuan claimed some officials are already compliant, his threat raises uncomfortable questions: How many top officials are evading taxes while preaching domestic revenue mobilization? And will the minister actually publish the list, or is this another empty political threat?
He said government will intensify tax collection in coming months to boost domestic revenue for public services – a drive observers say must start at the top if it is to be taken seriously.
