Leadership
Mayor of the City of Monrovia
John-Charuk Saah Siafa
AMALI Cohort
2025
Term of Office
2024-2030
Length of Term
6 years
Mayoral Legacy Goal
Governance
Overview
Monrovia was founded in 1822 by the American Colonization Society (ACS) as Christopolis, a settlement intended for freed African Americans. In 1824, the city was renamed Monrovia to honour former U.S. President James Monroe, a supporter of the ACS. Monrovia now serves as Liberia's capital and largest city, and the nation’s economic hub. It has a population of 1.1 million inhabitants, accounting for 29% of the nation's population. The city is made up of six townships (Congo Town, West Point, Barnesville, New Georgia, Garworlon and Gardnersville) and one borough called New Kru Town, together constituting the Greater Monrovia Urban Area.
Provided by Monrovia City Corporation
Regional, Municipal and Administrative Boundaries
Electoral methodology
The Mayor of the City of Monrovia is appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate, the upper house of the National Legislature. The Mayor serves for six years at the will and pleasure of the President who is elected to serve a six-year term.
Provided by Monrovia City Corporation
Structure of departments, roles and responsibilities
- Office of the Mayor
- Monitoring and Evaluation Department
- Compliance Department
- Legal Department
- Internal Audit
- Office of the City Manager
- Directorate of Administrative Affairs
- Human Resources Department
- ICT Department
- General Services Department
- Directorate of Fiscal Services
- Revenue Department
- Finance Department
- City Parking Unit
- Advertisement Unit
- Directorate of Corporate Affairs
- Department of International Affairs & Migration
- Department of Community Services
- Department of Press and Public Affairs
- Directorate of Public Safety
- City Police Department
- Fire Service Department
- Environmental Health and Services Department
- Directorate of Economic Management
- Directorate of City Planning and Engineering Services
Monrovia City Corporation:
https://monrovia.gov.lr/department (last accessed November 2024)
Function of the municipality or equivalent
- Collecting, transporting disposing of, and managing all municipal solid waste and maintaining/managing municipal dumpsites
- Financial planning, budgeting and expenditure tracking for cost and expenditure management
- Maintaining public order and safety through enforcement of city laws and ordinances
- Providing environmental and public health services
- Revenue collection including levy local taxes, rates, dues, fees and fines as prescribed by the Local Government Act and by the Legislature;
- Authorise the issuance of certain licenses and operating permits as prescribed in the Local Government Act and by the Legislature;
- Approve their annual budgets
- Approve the development plan and its annual implementing plan
Monrovia City Corporation website: https://monrovia.gov.lr/department (last accessed November 2024)
Republic of Liberia. Liberia Local Government Act of 2015. Governance Commission Monrovia, Liberia.
Political structure for voting
- The Council of the Monrovia City Corporation consists of 40 members (councillors), 35 of which are elected by the residents of Monrovia and the remaining 5 are appointed by the President of Liberia upon the advice of the members of the National Legislature.
- The City has three branches of Government and they include:
- The Executive Branch (The Monrovia City Corporation) - Headed by a Mayor
- The Legislative Branch (The City Council) - Headed by a Chairperson
- The Judiciary Branch (The City Court) - Headed by a Judge
- Monrovia also contains six semi-autonomous townships and a Borough which the City Government of Monrovia provides services to through a revenue-sharing arrangement.
- Townships
- Congo Town
- West Point
- Barnesville
- New Georgia
- Garworlon
- Gardnersville
- Borough
- New Kru Town
Monrovia City Corporation:
https://monrovia.gov.lr/department (last accessed November 2024)
Finances
Municipal budget
USD 5,277,965
Ministry of Finance and Development Planning. 2024. Government of the Republic of Liberia National Budget Fiscal Year 2024 https://www.mfdp.gov.lr/index.php/docs/the-national-budget
Sources of revenue
- Tariffs
- Taxes
- Fees
- Charges
- Fines
Monrovia City Corporation:
https://monrovia.gov.lr/department (last accessed November 2024)
Main Economic Activities
Main economic sectors/activities include:
- Commerce
- Public administration and defence
- Transport, storage and communication
- Agriculture
- Construction
- Manufacturing
- Quarrying
World Bank. 2020. Greater Monrovia Urban Review:
https://documents1.worldbank.org/curated/en/399551593487350119/pdf/Main-Document-Review.pdf
Downloadable governance documents
Development Profile
Population Trends
Population Trends
Population Trends
Age Pyramid
Monrovia-Age-Pyramid
Age Pyramid
1,553 / km2
Population density (people per square kilometer) Montserrado County
Liberia Institute of Statistics and Geo-Information Services. 2008. 2008 National Population And Housing Census: Preliminary Results
Population Trends
194.25 km2
Land Area
World Atlas. 2024. What Is the Capital of Liberia?
Population Trends
2,540,421
Population projection (Montserrado County 2032)
Liberia Institute of Statistics and Geo-Information Services. 2022. Thematic Report on Population Size, Distribution and Structure 2022 Liberia Population and Housing Census.
Population Trends
1,100,000
Population (Monrovia City 2022)
Liberia Institute of Statistics and Geo-Information Services. 2022. 2022 Liberia Population and Housing Census Final Results.
Population Trends
1,600,000
Population (Greater Monrovia 2022)
Monrovia City Corporation (estimates)
Population Trends
1,920,965
Population (Montserrado County 2022)
Liberia Institute of Statistics and Geo-Information Services. 2022. Thematic Report on Population Size, Distribution and Structure 2022 Liberia Population and Housing Census.
Population Trends
Unemployment
Unemployment
Unemployment
Informal Economy
Informal Economy
Informal Economy
80%
Population employed in the informal sector (Greater Monrovia 2020)
Cities Alliance. 2020. Greater Monrovia Urban Development Strategy.
Informal Economy
85%
Youth unemployment rate (Greater Monrovia 2019)
Cities Alliance. 2020. Greater Monrovia Urban Development Strategy.
Unemployment
No items found.
No items found.
No items found.
No items found.
Education
Education: Facilities
Facilities
Education
Education: Literacy Rate
Literacy Rate
HDI
HDI Score
Human Development Index Score
Human Development Index Definition
The HDI score, ranging from 1 (best score) to 0 (worst score), summarises the average achievement across three basic dimensions of human development:
• A long and healthy life (life expectancy at birth)
• Knowledge (mean years of schooling for adults 25 years and older; expected years of schooling for children of school entering age)
• A decent standard of living
0.487
HDI Score (National - 2022)
HDI Score
United Nations Development Programme. 2021. Human Development Reports. Human Development Index (HDI).
74%
Montserrado County population which include the residents of Monrovia (15 years +) can read and write
Education: Literacy Rate
Liberia Institute of Statistics and Geo-Information Services. 2022. Thematic Report on Education and Literacy 2022 Liberia Population and Housing Census.
72
Primary Schools
Education: Facilities
Liberia Ministry of Education (provided by the city)
Basic Services
Basic Services: Sanitation
Sanitation
Basic Services
Basic Services: Waste
Waste
Basic Services
Electricity
Electricity
Housing
Housing: Access
Access to Housing
Spatial Development
Spatial Development: Maps
Urban Area Maps
Mobility
Transport: Median Travel Times
Average Travel Times
Transport
Transport: Modes
Modes of Transport
Basic Services
Water
Water
2%
Other
World Bank, 2020. Household income and expenditure survey - 2016. Greate Monrovia Urban Review
Transport: Modes
3%
Public buses
World Bank, 2020. Household income and expenditure survey - 2016. Greate Monrovia Urban Review
Transport: Modes
8%
Private cars
World Bank, 2020. Household income and expenditure survey - 2016. Greate Monrovia Urban Review
Transport: Modes
6%
Employer provided
World Bank, 2020. Household income and expenditure survey - 2016. Greate Monrovia Urban Review
Transport: Modes
13%
Public motorcycles
World Bank, 2020. Household income and expenditure survey - 2016. Greate Monrovia Urban Review
Transport: Modes
32%
Foot
World Bank, 2020. Household income and expenditure survey - 2016. Greate Monrovia Urban Review
Transport: Modes
36%
Public taxis
World Bank, 2020. Household income and expenditure survey - 2016. Greate Monrovia Urban Review
Transport: Modes
31.60%
Households with access to waste collection services (Greater Monrovia 2016 estimates)
World Bank. 2020. Greater Monrovia Urban Review. A spatial analysis investigating constraints and opportunities.
Basic Services: Waste
27.30%
Households connected to the national electricity grid (legally and illegally) (Greater Monrovia 2016 estimates)
World Bank. 2020. Greater Monrovia Urban Review. A spatial analysis investigating constraints and opportunities.
Electricity
63.90%
Households that use flush toilets (Greater Monrovia 2016 estimate)
World Bank. 2020. Greater Monrovia Urban Review. A spatial analysis investigating constraints and opportunities.
Basic Services: Sanitation
25,985
Households provided with water services in Monrovia (2024)
World Bank. 2020. Greater Monrovia Urban Review. A spatial analysis investigating constraints and opportunities.
Water
22.80%
Households that use piped drinking water (Greater Monrovia 2016 estimate)
World Bank. 2020. Greater Monrovia Urban Review. A spatial analysis investigating constraints and opportunities.
Water
Urban Development Challenges
Major Development Challenges
While the secondary data presented in the city profiles are from credible sources, we have not been able to verify the indicator definitions, denominators, or numerators, nor the data collection methodology for the primary data.
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