The Senate Committee on Transport has begun a comprehensive review of the diplomatic and operational alignment between Liberia and Guinea over the controversial Ivanhoe Atlantic Inc. concession, amid growing questions about the status of cooperation between the two neighboring countries whose partnership is critical to the project’s success.
Senator Saah H. Joseph of Montserrado County, who chairs the Senate Committee on Transport, told legislative reporters that the committee is scrutinizing the existing relationship between the two governments to ensure that the Ivanhoe Atlantic concession remains consistent with current diplomatic realities. He emphasized that both nations now operate under different leadership compared to when the original deal was initiated, making it necessary for Liberia’s Senate to verify that commitments remain mutually upheld.
According to Senator Joseph, the concession agreement had been advanced during the administration of former Liberian President George Weah and Guinea’s former head of state, whose governments shared a strong and supportive relationship that facilitated the entry of High Power Exploration (HPX), now renamed Ivanhoe Atlantic Inc., into the regional mining and transport space. However, with political transitions in both countries, the Senate believes it is prudent to examine whether the new administrations are aligned with the original understanding of the project.
The Senator disclosed that his committee has begun demanding documentation and proof from the Executive Branch to determine whether both countries remain committed to the agreement, given that the project is binational in nature and depends heavily on cross-border cooperation. “Since Ivanhoe Atlantic is extracting iron ore from Guinea and transporting it through Liberian territory for export, Liberia must be certain that Guinea is fully on board,” Senator Joseph said. “This is not a one-country venture. It is a joint operation that requires absolute clarity and diplomatic harmony.”
The Senator’s concern follows widespread rumors circulating in recent weeks that the Guinean government may be uncomfortable with aspects of the arrangement, allegedly expressing reservations about relying on a foreign transit route to export its minerals. These rumors, according to the Senate, pose a potential risk of diplomatic friction and could undermine investor confidence if not addressed urgently. Senator Joseph stressed that the Senate will compel the Executive to provide authoritative evidence that Guinea remains committed to the agreement, noting that Liberia cannot afford uncertainty over a cross-border mining venture of such economic magnitude.
Ivanhoe Atlantic Inc., previously known as High Power Exploration (HPX), is a privately-held U.S.-based company leading the massive Nimba Iron Ore Project. The company officially adopted its new name in December 2024 and has outlined a multibillion-dollar plan centered on the rehabilitation and expansion of the Yekepa–Buchanan rail line and the upgrading of Buchanan Port to create a modern, multi-user, open-access mineral transport corridor. The project is designed for an annual output capacity of 30 million tonnes of direct shipping ore, with an estimated capital investment of US$2.8 billion.
HPX and its successor entity, Ivanhoe Atlantic, have existing agreements with the governments of Liberia and Guinea, and the company works in partnership with regional mining stakeholders including Société des Mines de Fer de Guinée (SMFG). Its Liberian subsidiary, Ivanhoe Liberia, is fully owned by HPX, a member of the Ivanhoe Group of Companies. The project’s viability depends heavily on uninterrupted Liberia–Guinea collaboration and the protection of long-term transit rights.
Meanwhile, Senator Joseph also raised an unrelated but urgent issue regarding the performance of East International, the construction company contracted to rehabilitate the Roberts International Airport (RIA) corridor. In his letter, he expressed deep frustration over what he described as the company’s “troubling actions and inactions,” alleging that East International has abandoned key obligations under its contract and instead turned its focus to commercial quarrying activities in Montserrado County and several rural communities.
Senator Joseph reported that instead of deploying full resources toward reconstructing the RIA corridor, East International has been heavily involved in extracting and selling crushed rocks and other aggregates on the open market without any corporate social responsibility contributions to the affected communities. He noted with displeasure that local roads in the areas where the company operates cannot even be rehabilitated unless the same aggregates are purchased from the company, an arrangement that he says runs contrary to the original purpose of the contract and signals a “clear abandonment of responsibility.”
The Senator further stated that East International has subcontracted major aspects of the RIA road project to third-party companies, raising doubts about its competency, commitment, and compliance with the terms of the public contract entrusted to it. He reminded the Senate that in 2016, the Legislature had passed a law allocating funding for the pavement of several key community roads in Montserrado County, including New Georgia Estate, Chocolate City, Darkar Town, Butter Factory Road, and Topoe Village Road. But those funds were later diverted to support work on the RIA corridor, with the understanding that the resources would be replenished in subsequent national budgets. “Since 2016 to date, nothing has been restored,” Senator Joseph lamented.
He told his colleagues that the affected communities have waited far too long for development that was promised and legally guaranteed to them nearly a decade ago. With the current concerns surrounding East International’s performance, he argued, the Senate must intensify its oversight role and ensure that the funds diverted from the community road projects be fully reinstated in the upcoming 2026 national budget cycle to allow long-delayed works to begin.
After Senator Joseph’s communication was read on the Senate floor, the plenary voted to forward it to the Committee on Public Works, which has one week to investigate and report its findings.
During a media engagement following the session, Senator Joseph reiterated that both matters—the Ivanhoe Atlantic concession review and the East International contract controversy—require urgent and decisive attention from the Legislature. He implored the Senate to protect Liberia’s national interests, safeguard diplomatic relations with Guinea, and hold contractors accountable for public projects that directly affect citizens’ lives.
