Legislative Information Service - LIS

Liberia: President Boakai’s Digital Revolution: Executive Order 163 Sparks Historic Leap for Legislative Information Service - LIS

Fifteen years ago, Joseph Nyumah Boakai, then President of the Liberian Senate, stood before lawmakers and cut the ribbon to a refurbished library and archive. His words that day were not ceremonial pleasantries; they were a thunderous call to action. He urged the Legislature to embrace digitalization, to harness information technology for cutting edge research, and to transform Liberia’s governance into a modern, transparent, and efficient system.

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Liberia: Boakai’s Digital Revolution: Executive Order 163 Sparks Historic Leap for Legislative Information Service | Oracle News Daily Politics Liberia: Boakai’s Digital Revolution: Executive Order 163 Sparks Historic Leap for Legislative Information Service Fifteen years ago, Joseph Nyumah Boakai, then President of the Liberian Senate, stood before lawmakers and cut the ribbon to a refurbished library and archive. His words that...

The Legislative Information Service joins the people of Liberia in celebrating Unification Day — a day that reminds us of the importance of national unity, peace, and collective progress. 🇱🇷✨

As a nation, our strength lies in our ability to work together despite our differences. The words of our National Anthem, “In Union Strong, Success is Sure,” continue to serve as a powerful reminder that unity remains the foundation for a stronger and more prosperous Liberia.

On this special occasion, we encourage all Liberians to continue promoting peace, reconciliation, patriotism, and national harmony as we work together in building a better future for our country.

Happy Unification Day to all Liberians at home and abroad.
Together, we stand stronger. ❤️🇱🇷

The Legislative Information Service (LIS), in collaboration with the House of Representatives’ ICT and Press & Public Affairs Departments, today held a technical working session on Legislative Website Training and Content Management, bringing together House and Senate Select Directors, IT Managers, Press Officers, Administrative Officers, and the Website Developer to assess progress and strengthen collaboration on the Legislature’s digital transformation efforts.

During the session, the Website Developer disclosed that the Legislature’s website is currently completed with just technical touches to be made before its official launch, marking a significant milestone toward improving public access to legislative information and activities. Participants also made several key recommendations, including the addition of other sections of the Legislative Branch of Government, as well as its unicameral and bicameral departments, to ensure the platform is more comprehensive, informative, and representative of the Legislature’s full structure and functions.

The website task was assigned to the Legislative Information Service (LIS) by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Richard Nagbe Koon. Through the initiative of Integrity Watch Liberia under the leadership of Harold Aidoo, and with support from the United Nations Development Programme, the construction of the legislative website was initiated to enhance transparency, accessibility, and effective public engagement within the Legislature.

The engagement further focused on technical training, capacity building, workflow alignment, and roadmap development aimed at strengthening collaboration and improving legislative communication through a modernized digital platform.

LIS remains committed to supporting initiatives that promote accountability, innovation, and increased public access to legislative information in Liberia.

Happy Mother's Day Liberia.

Today, as we celebrate Mother’s Day, the Legislative Information Service proudly joins the nation in honoring the strength, love, sacrifice, and resilience of all mothers across Liberia and beyond.

As we commemorate 15 years of dedicated service and information dissemination within the Legislature of Liberia, we recognize the invaluable role mothers continue to play in shaping families, communities, and the future of our nation. Your care, wisdom, and unwavering commitment remain the foundation upon which stronger societies are built.

To every mother, grandmother, guardian, and mother figure, we say thank you for your endless sacrifices and unconditional love.

Happy Mother’s Day from the Legislative Information Service as we celebrate 15 years of service, growth, and impact.

As part of the observance of its 15th Anniversary, the Legislative Information Service - LIS today held a one-day reflection and strategic working session aimed at evaluating the department’s journey and impact over the past fifteen years.

The session provided an opportunity for staff and leadership to reflect on the department’s service delivery achievements, assess its current progress, and outline a forward-looking vision for the next five years as it approaches two decades of institutional service.

Several staff members, including the Director of the department, Mr. B. McCarthy Weh, shared insightful retrospectives on the department’s growth, challenges, milestones, and aspirations for the future.

The 15th Anniversary is being observed under the theme:
“REFORM FOR IMPACT AND LEGACY!”

Pictorial highlights below.

Celebrating 15 Years of Dedicated Service to Liberia — LIS Marks a Milestone of Excellence and Impact.

Today, we proudly celebrate 15 years of dedicated service, transparency, and commitment to Liberia as the Legislative Information Service (LIS) marks its 15th Anniversary.

For the past fifteen years, LIS has played a vital role in keeping citizens informed about the work of the Legislature, promoting public awareness, strengthening democracy, and bridging the gap between the people and their government.

This milestone is a reflection of hard work, professionalism, growth, and the continued dedication of all those who have contributed to the institution’s success over the years.
As we celebrate this special occasion, we honor the journey so far and look forward to many more years of excellence, innovation, and service to the Liberian people.

Happy 15th Anniversary to the Legislative Information Service! 🇱🇷🎉

The Legislative Information Service (LIS) Holds Working Session to Review Service Delivery in the First Quarter of 2026

The Legislative Information Service (LIS) met in a major working session to reflect on services delivered between January and March. The session brought together members of the LIS and the department's Think-Tank, responsible for research. Director McCarthy Weh facilitated the session.

Following the review, the legislative bicameral department focused on service delivery for the next session. Key discussions centered on advancing the digital transformation of LIS, with a strong focus on enhancing how legislative information is shared with the public and improving research support to both Houses of the Legislature.

The session highlighted LIS’s ongoing commitment to innovation, transparency, and strengthening its role as a vital link between the Legislature and the Liberian people.

On April 1, 2025, the Legislative Information Service (LIS) of the Liberian Legislature in collaboration with Naymote Partners for Democratic Development convened a working session to review and discuss the modified Terms of Reference (ToR) for the LIS's three divisions: Management Information Service (MIS),
Quality Enhancement Service (QES) and Committee Support Service (CSS) and the introduction of four (4) interns from Naymote who will be serving the Legislature.
Moving forward, the LIS primary service delivery focuses on the following: aiding legislators in their lawmaking function through the department’s Management Information System (MIS); assisting lawmakers in their oversight role through the Committee Support Services (CSS) division; and, helping to improve the legislature’s representation function through the department’s Quality Enhancement Services (QES) division.

Key Objectives of the Working Session:
• Clarification of Roles: Define the specific functions and responsibilities of each division to ensure alignment with the LIS's mission to provide professional library, archival, and research services to all 103 lawmakers, committees, staff of the both houses and the general public.
• Enhancement of Services: Identify areas for improvement within each division to better support legislative processes and promote transparency.
• Collaboration Strategies: Develop strategies to strengthen collaboration between the LIS divisions and legislative committees, enhancing the overall effectiveness of legislative support services.

LIS and Naymote Collaboration:
The LIS serves as the information repository and research resource for the Liberian Legislature, providing objective, nonpartisan research and analysis to both the Senate and House of Representatives. Established as part of the Legislature’s five-year Modernization Plan (2009-2013), the LIS aims to support informed
decision-making and citizen engagement through the dissemination of accurate and timely information.

Naymote Partners for Democratic Development is a prominent civil society organization dedicated to enhancing democracy and good governance in Liberia. Their collaboration with the LIS has led to various initiatives aimed at improving legislative openness and effectiveness, including training programs for legislative staffers and the donation of laptops to enhance the work of legislative staff.
Naymote, in collaboration with the LIS, has organized seminars and training sessions aimed at developing the capacity of legislative personnel. For instance, a one-day seminar themed “Advancing the Culture of Legislative Openness and Ensuring Citizens’ Interests are Represented” was held to enhance the professional skills of legislative staffers. Today's working session underscores the ongoing commitment of both the LIS and Naymote to strengthen legislative support services, promote transparency, and ensure that
legislative processes are accessible and responsive to the needs of the Liberian people.

Mr. Eddie Jarwolo, Executive Director of NAYMOTE expressed joy that he could be part of a collective effort aimed at improving lawmakers’ services to the people. He vowed to continue to assist as he thanked his donors for their support. Mr. McCarthy Weh, the LIS Director for his part, says he is cautiously optimistic
that by the end of the tenure of the 55th Legislature, the body would have achieved remarkably well; while he at the same time urged lawmakers to prioritize capacity building and professional development enhancement of staffers. He expressed that the anticipated benefit for the modified TOR is that the work of the legislature will be improved and citizens will be more informed on the legislature and its three cardinal functions.

July 30, 2024
NAYMOTE-Liberia Hosts Round-table Discussions on "Lessons Learnt on Openness and Documentations" in Collaboration with the Legislative Information Service (LIS)!

A one-day round table discussion was hosted in the Library space of the Legislature on Lessons Learnt in legislative openness and documentations, with sponsorship from NAYMOTE Partners for Democratic Development. The discussions were held under what the department calls NAYMOTE-LIS Partnership Mid-Year Engagements and Review. Under this phase of the partnership, the LIS and NAYMOTE reviewed their partnership’s activities during the period under review (January – July). During the event, focus was placed on chamber's statistics including legislative instruments acted upon by both houses.

Lead discussants at the event were the Stenographers and Engrossing Clerk of the Senate, and the Deputy Chief Clerk of the House of Representatives who served as Resource Person since the Stenographers and Engrossing Clerk of the House were unavailable. The discussants spoke on how bills become laws, attendance records of lawmakers, statistics from the January to July 2024 plenary sittings of both lower and upper Houses of the Legislature, etc. Benefits of laptops donated to legislative chambers staffers were reviewed and found that the laptops are serving the intended purpose.

The roundtable of 25 participants generally placed emphasis on the importance of letting the citizenry know about the day to day workings of their lawmakers at Capitol Hill, and how the lawmakers are making sure they provide support to their (critical) departments for effective-optimum service delivery.

For their parts: NAYMOTE’S Executive Director, Mr. Eddie Jarwolo thanked the participants for attending, and expressed his willingness to assist critical departments at the legislature. He emphasized on the LIS and its affiliating departments of research, archives and library. Also, continued support to the stenographers and engrossing clerks were highlighted.
LIS Director B. McCarthy Weh, conveyed deep appreciation to NAYMOTE for its unrelenting partnership with the LIS in the last six years, when the bicameral departments faced some of its most difficult times during the 54th Legislature. He praised Mr. Jarwolo for keeping the LIS afloat in service delivery in seven years running now.

Group photos followed!!!

?Innovative Media Liberia

THE LIS BOSS CO-LAUNCHED TREASURE GIRLS INITIATIVE (TGI)

Exactly one week today, on last Friday July 19, a newly formed organization was launched. On the day, Sinkor Palace played host to scores of young people as well as several adults. Madam (Amb.) Fanta Ceesay staged a program for the official launch of her TGI’s Organization.

The organization was officially launched by Senator Simeon Taylor of Grand Cape Mount County. While the senator could not be in presence, he was represented by a senior member of his staff. In launching the TGI on behalf of the senator, his staff announced a commitment of US500.00. Senator Taylor through his proxy called on the TGI to commit itself to the objectives of the organization, and that he stands ready to do whatever he can to aiding her in achieving her goal.

Performing the co-launching role was the Director of the Legislative Information Service (LIS), Mr. McCarthy Weh. Director Weh firstly thanked Ambassador Ceesay for the vision to work with young Liberian girls and ladies in general, seeing them as treasures and valuing their potentials and future. He then called on the TGI to work tirelessly in realizing its vision. In the name of his office, he pledged US200.00 to assist the organization in executing its initial workflow.

Madam Ceesay thanked all who attended the event and expressed appreciation for all those who supported in the holding of the launching program.

HAPPY July 26 TO ALL



UNDP Liberia USAID/Liberia