LACC Launches Digital Whistleblower System to Enhance Forestry Oversight in Nimba

GANTA, NIMBA COUNTY: The Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission has introduced the TALKAY whistleblower platform to forestry actors during a two-day training in Ganta, Nimba County. The platform aimed to position digital tips as the frontline defense against illegal logging and related revenue losses.

By: Abraham Sylvester Panto

The workshop, organized by Integrity Watch Liberia, gathered community leaders, forest rangers, concession representatives, and civil society monitors for practical guidance on detecting corruption and filing secure reports through the new App.

Opening the session, LACC Vice Executive Chairperson Ernest Hughes outlined the Commission’s mandate, noting that rapid, verifiable alerts now complement traditional audits in Liberia’s broader anti-graft strategy.

He demonstrated TALKAY’s end-to-end encryption, geo-tagging, and offline upload buffer, emphasizing that rural monitors can capture evidence even without immediate network access.

Chair Hughes reminded participants that every submission is covered by the 2021 Whistleblower Protection Act and the 2022 Witness Protection Law, which criminalize retaliation and mandate strict confidentiality throughout investigations.

Linking forest crime to national budget erosion, he urged local communities to treat vigilance as a safeguard for livelihoods, biodiversity, and future export earnings.

A detailed walk-through of the reporting pipeline showed how alerts reach a specialized forestry desk that can coordinate joint field verifications within forty-eight hours of receipt.

Integrity Watch Liberia pledged periodic refresher clinics and independent tracking of enforcement outcomes to reinforce public confidence that legitimate tips lead to concrete action.

The group adopted a communiqué committing all participants to mainstream TALKAY in patrol briefings and community meetings, thereby embedding citizens’ oversight into day-to-day forestry management.