By Amos Harris
MONROVIA, Liberia – The Director General of the Liberia Agricultural Commodity Regulatory Authority (LACRA), Christopher D. Sankolo, has unveiled startling revelations about the dire and dysfunctional state in which he inherited the institution from the past administration. Speaking at the Ministry of Information, Cultural Affairs and Tourism’s regular press briefing over the weekend, Sankolo detailed a completely depleted financial account, missing project vehicles, and severely inadequate infrastructure that crippled the agency’s operations.
Upon assuming leadership earlier this year, Director Sankolo reported being shocked to find LACRA’s account completely empty, leaving the agency without basic resources to function effectively. “There was no money in LACRA’s account when we took over, not even a cent. The coffers were dry,” he emphatically stated. “What we met on the ground was nothing short of administrative sabotage.”
LACRA, responsible for regulating and promoting Liberia’s agricultural commodities, particularly cash crops like cocoa, coffee, and oil palm, had reportedly suffered from profound mismanagement under the previous leadership. Sankolo accused past officials of plundering institutional resources, including vehicles and equipment acquired through donor-funded projects. “We could not account for vehicles that were intended to support field monitoring and enforcement operations in rural counties,” he added. “These were assets provided through national and international partnerships to boost our logistical strength, but unfortunately, they vanished without a trace.”
One of the most alarming discoveries was the misuse and disrepair of critical infrastructure, particularly the lack of electricity at the institution’s headquarters. Sankolo explained that key departments, including finance, legal affairs, inspection, and communication, had no running electricity. “It was a total breakdown of institutional functionality, staff were demoralized, systems were non-operational, and service delivery was almost nonexistent,” he explained.
Despite these immense challenges, Director Sankolo affirmed that his leadership has already begun taking significant steps to rebuild LACRA. He emphasized that his administration has prioritized institutional restructuring, resource mobilization, and transparent governance to restore public trust and efficiency.
“We’ve expanded our power capacity from a single 5kVA generator to an integrated system that now supplies electricity to the entire facility. We’ve made sure that every department can now function at full capacity,” he noted. “We’ve also launched internal audits to trace missing resources and implemented policies to prevent future mismanagement.”
Sankolo attributed these early successes to strong political will from the current government under President Joseph Nyuma Boakai, whom he says is deeply committed to institutional accountability and national development. “It is this record of integrity, restoration, and reform that led to my certification and endorsement by President Boakai. Our mission is aligned with the national development agenda. We are here to serve Liberia, not ourselves,” the Director General declared.
The mismanagement at LACRA had severe consequences for Liberia’s agriculture sector, especially for rural farmers who rely on the agency for certification, regulation, and market facilitation. Cocoa and coffee farmers in Lofa, Nimba, and Bong Counties had long expressed frustration over their inability to access international markets due to delayed inspections and poor regulatory support from LACRA in past years. “Because LACRA was not functioning, we could not get our cocoa certified for export. We had to sell to middlemen at cheap prices. It was killing our business,” lamented Mamadee Gballah, a cocoa farmer from Zorzor District, Lofa County.
With a revived leadership and a more proactive approach, farmers are beginning to regain confidence. Director Sankolo announced that LACRA is actively working on reactivating regional offices, recruiting agricultural inspectors, and creating digital certification systems to ensure Liberian commodities meet international standards. “We want to eliminate delays, reduce corruption, and provide real-time support to our farmers; that’s the only way we can grow our agricultural economy,” he said.
A hallmark of Sankolo’s leadership is his focus on transparency and internal audits. Beyond accountability, he stressed that the new LACRA leadership is committed to building a culture of professionalism, ensuring that every employee is guided by ethics, efficiency, and a service-first mindset. “We are cleaning up LACRA, not only structurally but morally; we want this institution to be a benchmark for regulatory excellence in West Africa,” he asserted.
President Boakai, who has placed agriculture at the center of his ARREST agenda, has repeatedly called for a complete reform of agricultural governance bodies in the country. During a recent national address, the President named LACRA as a priority institution for transformation. “The agriculture sector is critical to Liberia’s self-reliance, job creation, and food security. Agencies like LACRA must work not just in policy, but in practice. That is why we are backing competent leadership and demanding results,” President Boakai said.
The President’s endorsement of Sankolo’s leadership is widely seen as a signal of a new era of accountability, service, and performance in agriculture regulation. Liberians, especially those in the agriculture value chain, are closely watching how the reforms at LACRA unfold. Civil society groups, farmers’ cooperatives, and exporters are calling for even greater transparency and collaboration in rebuilding trust. “We welcome the new LACRA leadership, but we want to see more engagement with farmers on the ground. Training, access to finance, and guaranteed markets are key.”
In response, Director Sankolo announced plans to roll out quarterly stakeholder forums, county outreach missions, and a Farmer Advisory Council that will provide policy feedback from the grassroots level. “We want a two-way relationship with the people we serve; the future of LACRA will be built not just in Monrovia, but in every farming community across Liberia,” he said.
The story of LACRA’s revival is still unfolding, but the revelations of institutional decay under the previous administration underscore the profound challenges of rebuilding governance in post-conflict Liberia. Under Director General Christopher D. Sankolo’s stewardship, the agency appears to be on a new path—one driven by accountability, reform, and service to the Liberian people. As the nation grapples with food insecurity, limited foreign exchange from agricultural exports, and a growing need for rural development, institutions like LACRA are vital. Whether these reforms stick will depend not just on the leadership of a few but on the collective will of stakeholders, government, and citizens to demand and sustain good governance.
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