Liberia: GAC-Flags Star-P Assets Worth Over U.S.$104k

What the report says

The Liberian Observer reported that Liberia’s General Auditing Commission (GAC) flagged more than US$104,900 in assets linked to the STAR-P agriculture project as un-coded or unverified in an audit covering the period ended October 31, 2025. STAR-P is a US$55 million World Bank-financed initiative implemented by the Ministry of Agriculture, and the questioned items were tied to beneficiary sites in Grand Bassa, Grand Cape Mount and Lofa counties.

A follow-up field verification conducted from August 13 to 15 found the assets intact at all three locations. In Grand Bassa, equipment assigned to Cheenah Group of Companies was seen on site and had since been coded. In Grand Cape Mount, a cold-storage unit, solar equipment and a greenhouse listed in the audit were physically present at TOTAG Farm, though some items had not yet been installed. In Lofa, three motorbikes reported as unavailable for inspection were found to be functional and in use by a cooperative.

The article says the verification does not erase the GAC’s management letter, but it changes the practical interpretation of the findings. Rather than indicating loss or diversion, the report points to problems with asset tagging, storage and audit readiness. Legal experts cited by the publisher said this would amount to administrative non-compliance under public financial management rules, not necessarily criminal conduct.

The case matters because it highlights how donor-funded agricultural assets are tracked, documented and presented for audit in Liberia. The Ministry of Agriculture would still be expected to improve its fixed-asset records and custody controls if it is to satisfy both auditors and the World Bank.