The Liberian Senate has concurred with the House of Representatives in passing into law a US$364 million concession agreement between the Government of Liberia and PAVIFORT AL ASSOCIATES, INC., a Sierra Leonean civil engineering and construction company well known for its design-build, preconstruction, and construction management services.
The agreement, submitted recently by the Executive through authorizes the company to undertake the asphalt pavement of 255 kilometers of major national road corridors under a Build, Operate and Transfer arrangement. The project is expected to span a five-year period. Information Minister Jerolinmek M. Piah confirmed that the concession includes some of the country’s most economically strategic road links. The St. Paul Bridge to Klay corridor in Bomi County is among the routes targeted, along with the stretch from Klay to Bo Waterside, the Klay–Tubmanburg corridor, the Madina–Robertsport route, and the Voinjama–Mendikorma highway in Lofa County. According to the minister, these roads were selected due to their economic and social significance to regional trade and internal movement.
During Thursday’s Senate session, the Joint Committee chaired by former Pro Tempore and current Chair on Public Works and Rural Development, Senator Albert Tugbe Chie, presented its report on the concession. The committee, comprising members from Public Works and Rural Development, Concession and Investment, Ways, Means, Finance and Budget, Public Accounts and Audits, and Judiciary, Human Rights, Claims and Petitions, recommended full concurrence. Senator Chie informed the Senate that the agreement meets all legal and procedural requirements and would bring substantial relief to communities long affected by poor road conditions. Following his presentation, the Senate voted overwhelmingly in favor of concurrence.
In addition to the road agreement, the Senate also concurred with the House of Representatives on the ratification of a financing agreement between the Republic of Liberia and the African Development Bank, along with the African Development Fund. The agreement seeks to support the Institutional Support for Enhanced Domestic Revenue Mobilisation and Reform Implementation Project. According to the Joint Committee on Ways, Means, Finance and Budget, working in collaboration with the Judiciary Committee, the government requested the African Development Bank, acting through its Transition Support Facility, to finance the strengthening and modernization of Liberia’s revenue administration systems.
Under the agreement, the Bank has committed to extend a loan valued at the equivalent of 5,144,000 Units of Account in convertible currencies. The loan carries a duration of 50 years, with a 10-year grace period and a service charge of one percent per annum on the disbursed balance. Repayments are scheduled to begin after the grace period, occurring every March 1 and September 1. In its report, the committee highlighted that the loan will significantly enhance the Liberia Revenue Authority’s capacity to improve tax administration and expand domestic revenue collection, thereby supporting the government’s broader economic reform agenda.
After listening to the committee’s detailed presentation, the presiding officer commended the thoroughness of the review and called for a vote. Senators voted overwhelmingly to concur with the House, effectively approving the agreement and giving full force and effect to its provisions.
