NaFAA’s Acting DG Saygbe Inherits Over US$ 3M In Arrears …As Accused Fmr. DG Glassco’s Takes Off To ECOWAS

By Bill W. Cooper
The Acting Director General of the National Fisheries and Aquaculture Authority (NaFAA), Cyrus Saygbe, has announced that his leadership is inheriting a staggering US$3.1 million in outstanding financial arrears.
Saygbe revealed that NaFAA currently holds just over US$450,000 in its bank account, despite receiving over US$4 million in the 2024 national budget.
He further narrated that NaFAA was mandated to remit US$1.276 million to the LRA but fell short of that target.
However, the revelation comes at a time when the authority is struggling with internal strife, particularly following the suspension of its former Director General, Emma Glassco, who has now taken legal action against the government.
But Saygbe, who stepped into the role following Glassco’s suspension, revealed the financial challenges facing NaFAA during his official taking-over ceremony yesterday, March 24, 2025, at the agency’s headquarters in Monrovia.
Addressing his NaFAA staff, including partners and other government officials, Saygbe disclosed, “We now stand at a pivotal juncture. Our ongoing Liberia Sustainable Management of Fisheries Project supported by the World Bank currently balancing approximately US$21 million and set to conclude in September 2026 demonstrates the incredible potential of our sector to drive economic growth, enhance livelihoods, and secure food security.”
According to him, his team has already begun engaging with the World Bank to ensure a very successful conclusion of this project to meet its development objectives, noting that the engagement with the Project Implementation Unit recently, provided him with the appreciation and confidence that the project team is up to the task to meet these deliverables.
He noted, “However, despite these opportunities and ongoing efforts, we must also confront several pressing challenges that define our current status. I am pleased to announce that we face outstanding financial arrears totaling US$3.1 million.”
And that includes pending vendor payments over the years, complications involving LRA income tax and NASSCORP withholdings that were deducted from staff but never remitted from as far back as 2020 to date, unlawful dismissals where the Labor Court has ruled in favor of the staff to be paid, and overdue payments to the National Port Authority pose significant hurdles.
“We are further bound by critical international treaty commitments, including addressing Liberia’s yellow card status. We also met an unverified bank balance of at least US$450,000 that will meet critical salary obligations for staff just for the months of March and April 2025,” he said.
Acting DG Saygbe further narrated that he has already asked the agency’s internal auditor from the IAA assigned at NaFAA to commence the review and verifications of these areas to enable his team to commence dialogues where needed and commence the liquidation of these liabilities where possible.
He maintained that as of the March 2025 payroll, they have agreed as a management team to commence the remittance of Withholding tax for LRA and Social Security for NASSCORP with immediate effect. We discussed the huge outstanding arrears.
Saygbe asserted that these challenges, compounded by low staff morale and persistent bureaucratic delays, set the stage for the current state of NaFAA as he officially commenced operations on March 24, 2025.
He added, “We have begged the indulgence of our NFAA colleagues to leave the past behind us as we all forge ahead to improve these challenges. As such, we have initiated a series of strategic measures to resolve all of the challenges in the shortest possible time.
Saygbe then praised the donor partners for their continuous support towards the sector, asserting, “Together, with our partners, we will drive progress and work towards the creation of a more resilient and prosperous fisheries sector while ensuring that our collective efforts have a lasting and positive impact on the communities we serve.”
“To our many clients, customers, beneficiaries and implementing partners under our various projects and other interventions, in the next few weeks, I will be visiting you to appreciate the work you do in your respective counties and communities. We will work towards reactivating our hotlines for ease of communication,” he added.
Meanwhile, the situation got more complicated by the legal actions taken by the entity’s suspended DG, Emma Glassco, following recommendations from the NaFAA Board and Office of the Ombudsman amid allegations of misconduct and financial mismanagement.
Madam Glassco, in her official Facebook post, announced that Cllr. Kabineh M. Ja’neh has filed a lawsuit against the government on her behalf, at the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Court, seeking US$10 million in damages for what she claims is reputational harm caused by her suspension.
She writes, “To fight for my character, which is at stake, I, Emma Metieh Glassco, have officially filed my case to the ECOWAS High Court in Abuja, Nigeria, for violation of my fundamental Human Right, which is the Right for a Due Process and Independent & Fair Trial consistent with the constitution of Liberia.”
“My Pleading comes with a reputational damage cost of US$10 million, and this is a cause I am prepared for; Liberia is the country of my birth, and the constitution of Liberia stands with me,” Madam Glassco asserted.