The Liberian Senate has passed a bill to establish an Independent Seaport and Inland Ports Regulatory Authority. The proposed law, when approved by the House of Representatives, will regulate and promote the sustainable development of seaports and inland port operations across Liberia. It aims to ensure safer, transparent, and efficient development of port facilities and services, among other objectives.
The Senate’s decision followed a recommendation from its Joint Committee on Public Corporations and Judiciary, Human Rights, Claims, and Petitions.
In a related move, the Senate also passed a bill focused on the Decentralization and Modernization of Liberia’s Seaports.
Decentralization Strategy
According to a Senate press release, the bill aligns with the government’s decentralization strategy, which includes transferring the management and operations of Liberia’s four seaports from a centralized body, the National Port Authority (NPA), to independent entities.
The NPA currently manages:
- The Freeport of Monrovia
- The Port of Buchanan
- The Port of Greenville
- The Port of Harper
However, the release noted that the NPA’s focus has primarily been on the Freeport of Monrovia, leaving the other ports underdeveloped.
The decentralization initiative seeks to address this imbalance by granting each port autonomy to:
- Manage its own operations
- Make independent investment decisions
- Increase revenue
- Contribute significantly to national and local economic growth
The Senate believes this reform will mitigate the negative effects of centralization and improve the efficiency and development of all seaports across Liberia.
Both bills now await concurrence from the House of Representatives to become law.
