BUCHANAN, Grand Bassa County | February 6, 2026 — Liberia’s Minister of Urban Affairs at the Ministry of Local Governance, Hon. Fatima Bintu Sirleaf, has revealed that just 33 out of the country’s 141 declared cities currently satisfy the legal requirements to maintain their city status.
Minister Sirleaf made the disclosure during a public awareness campaign organized by the Grand Bassa County Council in Buchanan, where she addressed journalists, local government officials, and community leaders on the implementation of reforms under the Local Government Act (LGA) of 2018.
According to the minister, a nationwide assessment carried out by her ministry found that many localities previously designated as cities fall short of the standards prescribed by law. As a consequence, several of these areas are likely to be reclassified from cities to towns.
Emphasizing the seriousness of the review process, Minister Sirleaf disclosed that even some long-recognized cities did not meet the required benchmarks. “I even informed the mayor of Edina City that her city did not qualify,” she said.
She explained that the reclassification exercise will have direct implications for local leadership, noting that changes in status will affect positions such as mayors and traditional chiefs. “There are people who will no longer be mayors, and others who will no longer serve as chiefs,” she stated, stressing that the process will be conducted lawfully, transparently, and without political bias.
Minister Sirleaf further clarified that under the Local Government Act of 2018 and established administrative guidelines, a locality must meet specific criteria to be recognized as a city. These requirements include minimum population thresholds, adequate infrastructure development, and formal legislative approval.
She noted that, aside from Monrovia and the 15 county capitals, all other cities are subject to these standards and risk losing their city status if they fail to comply with the law.
The minister urged local authorities and residents to see the reforms not as punitive, but as part of a broader national effort to strengthen decentralization, improve service delivery, and align administrative classifications with present-day realities.
“These reforms are about good governance and ensuring that what we call a city truly reflects development, capacity, and legal compliance,” Minister Sirleaf concluded.
