Liberia Lawmakers Probe Missing Records on $19.4 Million Agro-Processing Contract
Monrovia — Liberia’s Public Procurement and Concession Commission (PPCC) has informed Parliament that it holds no records detailing how a US$19.41 million contract for the Special Agro-Processing Zone (SAPZ) project in Grand Bassa County was awarded to a Ghanaian firm, sparking calls for an immediate investigation.
The disclosure came during a plenary session on Thursday when PPCC Executive Director Bodger Scott Johnson appeared before the House of Representatives alongside other senior officials. Johnson stated unequivocally that the Commission was unaware of the procurement process for the major contract, which was awarded to HM & A.
“We have no record about how this over US$19 million contract was given out. Absolutely, we don’t know,” Johnson told lawmakers.
The hearing was convened following a communication from Grand Bassa County District 5 Representative Thomas Goshua, who raised concerns that the contract for the SAPZ site construction violated laws promoting local participation. Goshua argued that the award to a foreign company excluded Liberians, particularly residents of Grand Bassa County, from potential opportunities in transport, manual labor, and other project aspects.
Johnson explained that the PPCC’s mandate under the Public Procurement and Concession Act is limited to regulation, monitoring, and enforcement, but that neither the National Investment Commission (NIC) nor the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning (MFDP) informed the Commission of the award. He suggested the procurement may have been handled through an MFDP project office for international activities.
The SAPZ project, a 210-hectare development in Buchanan funded by a US$19.41 million African Development Bank (AfDB) grant, aims to modernize agriculture and create over 156,000 jobs. The site was handed over to HM & A for an 18-month development period starting in early 2026.
Meanwhile, Director General of the National Bureau of Concessions (NBC), Hassan Kiazolu, identified a legal gap, stating that existing local content laws focus on goods and services but do not explicitly mandate labor requirements for concession agreements. He urged a legislative overhaul to ensure local labor participation.
The hearing intensified after Goshua claimed the AfDB had issued a “letter of no objection” prior to the award, a point that deepened legislative concern given the PPCC’s lack of knowledge.
Several representatives described the situation as a serious oversight failure. “This is a huge leakage; it is troubling. We need to ask the hardest questions,” said Grand Gedeh County District 3 Representative Jacob C. Debee.
Following the testimony, Representative Alfred H. Flomo moved to refer the matter to the House Committee on Concessions and Good Governance for a full investigation. The motion passed unanimously, directing the committee to report its findings within two weeks.
The investigation will scrutinize the procurement process for the SAPZ contract and assess potential weaknesses in Liberia’s concession and procurement oversight framework.
