MONROVIA, — Liberia’s Monitor and discipline program is hanging on a shoestring. Official authorities finances allocations for the game common within the low three figures, deferred to 2027. The Ministry of Youth and Sports activities (MYS) officers say they rely closely on exterior help to run this system.
Cash was a working theme all through the Liberia Marathon 2025, which passed off final Sunday. The occasion leant uncommon visibility to Liberian monitor and discipline and its native stars. The Each day Observer livestreamed the occasion, a full and half marathon, in partnership with KMTV, interviewing officers, current and former athletes on the challenges and potentialities for the game.
Zero Finances Allocation Fuels Frustration
We spoke to Hassan Kiawu first. Now Deputy Director Basic for Media Providers on the Liberia Broadcasting System (LBS), Kiawu is a celebrated Liberian athlete who specialised in monitor. On Sunday, we caught him on the end line, main a group of timekeepers.
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In a wide-ranging interview discussing his personal expertise and the importance of the marathon, Kiawu was optimistic about the way forward for Liberian monitor, given the prevailing and potential expertise. His dismay was over the finances.
In accordance with Kiawu, the MYS phase of the 2025 Nationwide Finances, launched by the Ministry of Finance and Improvement Planning, allocates zero funding to the Monitor and Discipline Federation. The finances solely tasks funds for 2027. The George Manneh Weah administration had additionally recorded zero allocation, for a lot of its length, with solely $246 allotted within the 2024 finances.
“It’s a huge disgrace that the Authorities of Liberia… [is not] specializing in enhancing this sport,” Kiawu lamented. He referred to as the minimal official funding “my pocket change,” emphasizing the huge public deal with soccer, which overshadows all different sports activities.
Authorities Highlights Off-Finances Figures and Budgetary Transfers
Deputy Minister of Youth & Sports activities G. Andy Quamie mentioned monitor is getting funded whatever the GOL’s finances constraints. The truth is, he says, the Monitor and Discipline is among the many most supported within the nation, largely by off-budget expenditures.
Talking final evening on the Liberia Marathon Belief’s post-race appreciation occasion, held at Royal Grand Lodge, Quamie defined, “The Athletics Federation is extra supported than most federations within the Republic of Liberia… With the 36 federations in Liberia, the Athletics Federation is among the many first 5 that’s effectively supported.”
He acknowledged that soccer receives the “lion’s share” however clarified that federations are impartial our bodies, which obtain exterior help. Authorities funding for them usually happens exterior the inflexible finances traces and largely helps participation in worldwide sporting occasions.
“If we rely on the finances, they won’t go [abroad],” Quamie defined. Citing a current instance, he mentioned “the Athletes Federation simply got here from Japan. They spent US$150,000, not from their finances. We [transferred] it from one other finances line.” He added that the federal government had spent over $3 million on sports activities alone exterior of the $500,000 designated finances line.
Want for Advertising and Company Engagement
Regardless of the insufficient authorities help, there may be consensus that the game wants important advertising and marketing and personal sector involvement to outlive. In that route, Mr. Kiawu urged athletes and directors to “step out of our consolation zone” and construct a rapport with the enterprise group.
However public indifference is a significant hurdle, he says. Soccer reigns supreme, in Liberia. The Monitor program must do extra to compete for nationwide consideration.
Kiawu proposed leveraging the success of Liberia’s worldwide stars–such as Joseph Fahnbulleh, Emmanuel Matadi, and Thelma Davies–by bringing them residence for public relations and advertising and marketing campaigns. “When these guys are referred to as on for the World Cup or Olympic Video games, we have to convey them to Liberia. That’s advertising and marketing and public relations,” he continued.
Kiawu additionally harassed the significance of native athletes taking part in additional regional leagues to boost visibility.
Run or Get Off the Monitor
It’s these native athletes, together with these taking part in para-sports, who bear the brunt of the monetary constraints. And, on Sunday, they didn’t conceal the damage, nor the starvation to win.
Moses Sackie, a five-time racer and participant within the 2025 Liberia Marathon Wheelchair Race, pleaded with organizers for higher help.
His first request was for “a global [standard] wheelchair for racing, as a result of most of us our wheelchair shouldn’t be good.” Different runners echoed the necessity for tools and coaching help.
Sackie additionally criticized the low money prizes, which noticed him, because the 10k wheelchair race winner, obtain solely US$200.
In the end, Kiawu challenged the federal government to both correctly fund monitor and discipline or take away it totally. He added that the game’s exclusion, even from the favored Nationwide County Sports activities Meet — a missed alternative, in his view. He recommended a minimum of an exhibition occasion must be held on the Nationwide County Sports activities Meet, to generate public curiosity.
It seems to be a bumpy path ahead for Liberian monitor and discipline, if it stays reliant on sporadic non-budgetary authorities help. Securing secure, official funding, whereas aggressively advertising and marketing its worldwide success, will assist appeal to the very important sponsorship that may complement. The query, as at all times, is a matter of political will.