Monrovia, Liberia – June 8, 2026: The Center for Media Studies and Peacebuilding (CEMESP), with funding support from the Netherlands Institute for Multiparty Democracy (NIMD), convened a one-day Legislative Constituency Engagement over the weekend with Grand Bassa County Electoral District #5 Representative, Thomas Goshua.
The engagement, held at the Silver Compound in the District, brought together more than fifty participants, including local government officials, religious and traditional leaders, civil society actors, youth leaders, and student representatives to discuss legislative governance and development priorities within the district.
According to a CEMESP press release issued in Monrovia, the engagement formed part of ongoing efforts to strengthen legislative accountability and citizen participation through the dissemination of findings from the organization’s legislative monitoring activities conducted during the April Special Sitting and May 2026 sessions of the Legislature.
The monitoring exercise assessed key indicators including legislative transparency, participation, representation, procedural compliance, and citizen engagement.
The findings presented by CEMESP revealed moderate progress toward transparency and inclusive governance within the Legislature. However, the report also highlighted significant opportunities for improving accountability mechanisms, strengthening public participation, and expanding citizens’ access to legislative proceedings. The presentation of the findings, focused on three key indicators: transparency, inclusion, and participation.
CEMESP noted that the presentation significantly enhanced citizens’ understanding of legislative processes and the importance of legislative monitoring. The session further created an avenue for meaningful dialogue between citizens and their elected representative, allowing participants to gain greater insight into the workings of the Legislature while directly engaging Representative Goshua on issues affecting their communities.
Providing feedback during the engagement, Representative Goshua emphasized that genuine legislative governance is achieved when legislative sessions are open, inclusive, and characterized by constructive debate that strengthens democratic governance and promotes meaningful citizen participation. He also presented a progress report on his legislative activities, highlighting the introduction of a tax exemption bill on sanitary pads aimed at reducing costs and increasing accessibility for women and girls across Liberia.
The lawmaker further disclosed that he has drafted a legislation to establish a statutory court in Compound Four, District #5, and a specialized court to fast-track drug-related cases across the country. He stressed that health, education, agriculture, and infrastructure development remain top priorities of his administration.
According to Representative Goshua, efforts are underway to establish a health center in the district through engagements with the Ministries of Health and Education, while fourteen voluntary teachers from the district have been placed on the government payroll. He also reported that scholarships have been secured for residents to pursue advanced agricultural training to enhance employment and economic opportunities.
During the interactive session, citizens raised concerns regarding the composition of the district leadership in relation to the Local Government Act, the legal establishment of Compound Four, the lack of a public senior high school and vocational training opportunities, limited educational advancement opportunities for teachers, and the growing issue of illicit mining activities involving foreign nationals.
In response, Representative Goshua assured citizens that vocational training centers would be established, improvements would be made in the education sector, and teachers’ quarters would be constructed to support educational development within the district.
CEMESP reaffirmed its commitment to promoting transparency, accountability, and active citizen participation in Liberia’s democratic governance processes.