LTA Boss: ‘I Can’t Disclose Revenue to Liberians’

MONROVIA, August 27, 2026 — Liberia Telecommunications Authority (LTA) Board Chairman Clarence Massaquoi has again declined to publicly disclose the regulator’s revenue collections, saying his reporting responsibility is to President Joseph Nyuma Boakai and authorized oversight institutions.

Speaking in an interview with our contributing writer, Massaquoi said he was not opposed to providing the LTA’s financial information to institutions legally empowered to request it, but questioned calls for him to disclose revenue figures directly to the public.

“I am not afraid at all to disclose. But who are the Liberians? I cannot disclose them. My reporting line is to the President,” Massaquoi said.

He argued that publicly discussing the figures could expose him to legal action due to an ongoing dispute over the suspension of the Telecom International Alliance (TIA) contract.

“Even if I did not receive a letter from anybody, it is reasonable for me to believe that this is an active ongoing dispute,” he said.

Massaquoi maintained that auditors and other institutions with statutory authority to examine the LTA’s finances would be given access to the necessary records.

He also said he was unaware of any investigation by the Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission (LACC) into the matter.

“LACC has not told me that they are coming to conduct an investigation. If LACC writes me and asks for any document, I would walk in the yard and give it to them,” he said.

Defends Numtel Deal

During the interview, Massaquoi also defended the LTA’s partnership with Numtel Liberia, the company contracted to provide telecommunications monitoring services.

He said the agreement runs for three years, after which the government will assess the company’s performance and determine whether the arrangement should continue.

“After three years, government will review it. Based on the work of the contract, a determination will be made whether to stay or not,” Massaquoi said.

The LTA chairman also sought to dismiss questions surrounding Numtel’s physical presence in Liberia, saying he had personally visited the company’s office.

“As chairperson, I have been to Numtel’s office. I will tell you where Numtel office is located after this interview,” he said.

Massaquoi acknowledged that the full LTA Board had not visited the office but maintained that Numtel is an established business.

“The board has not been there, but I have. This is an established business,” he said.

He did not provide the location of Numtel’s office as promised after the interview, but reportedly said he would provide it later in the week.

Massaquoi also rejected claims that Numtel is disconnected from Liberia’s GSM operators.

His continued refusal to publicly state the LTA’s revenue collections comes amid questions over transparency surrounding the telecommunications regulator, its revenue-monitoring arrangements and the Numtel contract.

The controversy has also raised broader questions about public access to financial information concerning regulatory agencies that collect and manage revenues on behalf of the government.