Liberia Agricultural and Environmental Journalists Network (LAEJN) Promote informed journalism and public engagement on agricultural and environmental nalists Network (LAEJN)
By LAEJN Editorial Team
Monrovia, Liberia — Jefferson Massah, a distinguished member of the International Federation of Agricultural Journalists (IFAJ) Executive Committee, has commended Christopher D. Sankolo, Director General of the Liberia Agriculture Commodity Regulatory Authority (LACRA), for his exemplary leadership following LACRA’s recognition as the top-performing public sector institution in Liberia for the 2024–2025 period.
President Joseph N. Boakai awarded LACRA the highest performance rating among 13 government entities, citing the agency’s remarkable turnaround under Sankolo’s stewardship. Since his appointment in March 2024, Sankolo has implemented transformative reforms that have revitalized LACRA’s operations and significantly boosted Liberia’s agricultural export sector.
Jefferson Massah, who is also the former president of the Pan African Agricultural Journalists Network, lauded Sankolo’s achievements, highlighting the positive impact on Liberia’s agricultural sector. Massah emphasized the importance of such leadership in fostering sustainable agricultural practices and enhancing the livelihoods of farmers across the country.
Mr. Massah noted the significance of Sankolo’s leadership in transforming LACRA into a model of efficiency and accountability, setting a precedent for other public institutions in Liberia. He expressed confidence that this success would inspire further reforms and improvements within the nation’s agricultural sector.
Mr. Massah, who is also an executive of the Liberia Agricultural and Environmental Journalists Network (LAEJN), praised the growing collaboration between LACRA and LAEJN, particularly highlighting their shared commitment to enhancing smallholder farmers’ access to vital agricultural information. This partnership, which focuses on providing farmers in six cocoa-producing counties with valuable insights and updates, is seen as a crucial step towards strengthening the agricultural value chain in Liberia.
Through this initiative, information on cocoa farming, market trends, sustainable practices, and best harvesting techniques is being disseminated via a network of community radio stations. This strategy ensures that even the most remote farmers, who may not have regular access to the internet or other forms of digital communication, are still able to access essential knowledge that can help improve their farming practices and overall productivity.
Mr. Massah emphasized that the recognition and award presented to LACRA will further encourage and accelerate the positive engagements between both institutions. He believes that the award serves as a clear validation of the critical role that information-sharing and public-private partnerships play in advancing agricultural development. With LACRA’s continued leadership and LAEJN’s robust media reach, the partnership is expected to drive greater innovation, engagement, and accountability within Liberia’s cocoa industry.
According to Mr. Massah, this collaboration also represents a model for how agricultural stakeholders can come together to address long-standing challenges faced by smallholder farmers, particularly in accessing timely and relevant information. With both LACRA’s regulatory expertise and LAEJN’s outreach capacity, the initiative stands to empower farmers with the tools they need to thrive in a competitive and evolving market.
The continued strengthening of this partnership is anticipated to not only improve cocoa production in the targeted counties but also contribute to broader goals of rural development, food security, and economic empowerment for local farming communities across Liberia.
