LRA Calls For Stronger Action To Recover Africa’s Lost Resources

Monrovia, Liberia — Liberia Revenue Authority Commissioner General James Dorbor Jallah is calling for stronger cooperation among Liberia’s revenue, law enforcement and anti-corruption institutions to trace illicit financial transactions and recover assets taken from the country.

Jallah said recovering illegally transferred resources is important to strengthening Liberia’s ability to finance development and reduce dependence on borrowing.

He made the statement Tuesday at the opening of a regional training on asset recovery and illicit financial flows organized by the Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission and the African Union Advisory Board Against Corruption at the Cape Hotel in Monrovia.

The training is being held under the theme, “Implementing CAPAR and Curbing Illicit Financial Flows: Following the Money, Finding the Owner.”

Jallah said the LRA is prepared to strengthen information-sharing and intelligence cooperation with the Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission, Financial Intelligence Agency, Ministry of Justice and other relevant institutions, within the limits of the law and taxpayer confidentiality requirements.

He said the revenue authority often encounters information that can help investigators identify suspicious transactions.

“At the Liberia Revenue Authority, we see the money when it first shows its face: at the port, at the border, on the tax return,” Jallah said.

“We see the invoice that does not match the cargo. We see the company that declares a loss every year and still keeps expanding.”

Jallah said such information, when properly shared with authorized institutions, can help uncover financial activities that deprive governments of resources needed for public services and development.

“Africa is not poor. Africa is being drained,” he declared.

Citing a 2020 UNCTAD report, Jallah said Africa loses an estimated US$88.6 billion each year through illicit financial flows.

He said the problem extends beyond lost tax revenue, as illicit financial activities can place an unfair burden on ordinary taxpayers while complex corporate structures are used to conceal ownership and move profits across borders.

Jallah stressed the need to identify the ultimate beneficial owners behind companies and other financial arrangements as part of efforts to trace illicit funds.

He also called for faster cooperation among African countries, noting that financial transactions can move across several jurisdictions quickly while investigations often face delays in obtaining information needed to trace and recover assets.

The LRA Commissioner General identified the Common African Position on Asset Recovery, or CAPAR, as an important continental framework for tracing, freezing, recovering and returning illicit assets.

He urged Liberia’s integrity, security, law enforcement and revenue institutions to strengthen cooperation in the fight against illicit financial flows.

The institutions include the LACC, FIA, Ministry of Justice, Liberia National Police, Liberia Drug Enforcement Agency, National Security Agency, National Lottery Authority and the LRA.

Jallah linked asset recovery to Liberia’s broader effort to increase domestic resources for development.

He said money recovered from illicit activities can help expand the government’s fiscal space and reduce pressure to finance development through borrowing.

“Every dollar recovered strengthens our fiscal space and reduces the pressure to finance development through borrowing. It is a nurse in Kakata. It is a classroom in Zwedru. It is a road to a market,” Jallah said.

He said Liberia’s longstanding call for African unity and self-reliance remains relevant as countries work to protect their resources and recover funds taken illegally across borders.

“In 2026, self-reliance means one thing above all: keeping Africa’s money in Africa and bringing home what was stolen,” Jallah said.

Jallah challenged participants at the training to strengthen their skills in financial investigations, beneficial ownership identification, digital evidence and asset recovery.

The regional training is expected to build the capacity of participants to trace illicit assets, investigate complex financial transactions and strengthen cooperation among institutions working to combat financial crimes.