A major controversy has erupted within Liberia’s National Investment Commission (NIC) after its Chairman, Jeff B. Blibo, reportedly acted outside of his authority in a decision that appeared to contravene President Joseph N. Boakai’s executive directives on the future management of Liberia’s critical railway infrastructure.
Multiple government sources confirmed to the Daily Observer that Blibo’s actions, taken without the full knowledge or consent of key cabinet ministers, have triggered swift corrective measures from the Executive Mansion.
At the heart of the controversy are letters reportedly dispatched by Blibo to ArcelorMittal Liberia (AML) and Ivanhoe Atlantic, informing the companies that the Inter-Ministerial Concessions Committee (IMCC) had “unanimously decided” to grant AML continued operational control over the Yekepa-to-Buchanan railway for an additional 25 years. This issue of transitioning to an independent operator model for Liberia’s rails has been at the forefront of ongoing negotiations between the GOL and the two mining companies.
The communication is said to have stunned policymakers, including officials at the Ministry of State who were not aware, given that President Boakai had publicly and repeatedly declared that the railway would transition to an independent operator model at the end of AML’s current Mineral Development Agreement (MDA) in 2030, in line with Executive Order No. 136.
There are also reports that the letters from Blibo stunned officials within the United States Embassy that only just last week circulated the US State Department’s public endorsement of President Boakai’s position for a multi-user rail system under an independent operator overseen by The National Rail Authority.
The President, who has positioned rail independence as a cornerstone of Liberia’s economic future, was reportedly neither informed of nor consulted on Blibo’s action beforehand. Reliable sources within the corridors of the Executive Mansion revealed to the Observer that President Boakai promptly ordered Chairman Blibo to rescind the letters sent to the companies and has summoned an emergency meeting of the full IMCC for Tuesday, May 6, over which he himself will preside and not the NIC Chairman.
The Observer, through staffers within the NIC, has reviewed Blibo’s letters as well as the official minutes of the April 30 meeting where the so-called decision was reportedly made, reflecting who actually attended the meeting. Critically, the meeting was not attended by several statutory Ministers of the IMCC, including the sector Minister of Mines and Energy, Minister of Justice, and Minister of Finance — three departments essential to the negotiating of any mining related concession agreement.
In addition, the Labor Ministry, another statutory IMCC member, was not present nor proxied for. Yet Blibo told the Executive Mansion and communicated externally that the IMCC made a consequential decision unanimously.
In fact, the Minister of Finance, Augustine Ngafuan, was out of the country at the time attending the World Bank Spring Meetings and other official engagements, and sources at the Ministry of Finance confirmed he was completely unaware of any such decision having been made or had not even seen the letters before they were sent to the Companies.
Additionally, the Minister of Justice who was also out of the Country informed the Observer when contacted that he also had no knowledge of the decision nor any communication that went out on it and would look into it.
The absence of these key ministers who were only represented by their proxies and technical staff, raises fundamental questions about the legitimacy of the purported decision, especially if the Ministers were unaware or did not give any specific instructions on the matter. Interviews conducted by the Observer with senior government officials, including the Minister of Mines and Energy, Wilmot Paye, confirmed that they neither attended the April 30 meeting nor delegated authority to junior staff to make such consequential policy determinations.
According to sources and the attendees as reflected in the meeting minutes from the NIC seen by the Observer, Chairman Blibo relied mainly on the presence of deputies and lower-level representatives to claim a “unanimous decision,” and then unilaterally communicated that to the Companies without the knowledge of the President, even though Liberia’s laws and concession negotiation practices stipulate that only principal ministers or their expressly designated deputies, acting under explicit instruction, can engage in final concession deliberations of this magnitude. “Blibo has literally lied to the President based on the minutes from the meeting that a unanimous decision by the IMCC was rendered,” said a senior Executive Mansion advisor with knowledge of the matter, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter.
The President’s directive that Liberia’s rail infrastructure transition to a multiuser, independently managed system under the oversight of the newly created National Rail Authority was codified through Executive Order No. 136 earlier this year. The policy shift is a strategic move intended to ensure open, transparent, and non-discriminatory access to the railway system for all eligible mining companies, including Ivanhoe Atlantic, a U.S.-backed company poised to invest significantly in Liberia’s infrastructure development through its Liberty Corridor project.
The strong US support for President Boakai’s desire for a multiuser system with an independent operator is consistent with US current policy on major rail infrastructure projects such as the Lobito Corridor which connects Angola, DRC and Zambia and is benefiting from billions in US investment. Both the Biden and now the Trump Administration have supported that project.
The US reportedly sees a Corridor between Liberia and Guinea that reportedly has over 11 billion tons of iron ore as strategic to the US Critical Minerals Supply Chain.
It is also significant that the U.S. Government has publicly expressed support for Liberia’s multiuser rail policy, viewing it as critical to fair competition and regional economic development, especially at a time when the United States is working to gain advantage against China in the race for access to rare earth minerals and other resources.
Against this backdrop, the miscommunication — or deliberate overreach — by the NIC chairman raised concerns not only within Liberia’s executive leadership but also among Liberia’s development partners. It is understood that the President’s forthcoming IMCC emergency meeting will seek to fully clarify the Government’s consistent position and reassert Liberia’s commitment to open infrastructure access and investor confidence.
Government insiders emphasized to the Observer that the IMCC is a recommending body whose decisions are subject to presidential approval before being communicated to third parties. “The role of the NIC and the IMCC is to negotiate and recommend,” explained one advisor. “Only the President can approve or change national concession policies.”
For now, sources close to the situation indicate that corrective measures are underway to reassure all concessionaires and stakeholders that the Liberian Government remains firmly committed to the principles of good governance, transparency, and fair play outlined in Executive Order No. 136.
It is expected that following the President’s emergency IMCC meeting, a new communication will be sent to all concerned parties reaffirming the Government’s multiuser policy and clarifying the process for Liberia’s future rail management system.
The rail corridor connecting Yekepa to the Port of Buchanan remains one of Liberia’s most vital national assets. How it is managed in the coming years will significantly shape Liberia’s mining sector, regional trade ambitions, and standing among global investors.
For now, according to Executive Mansion officials, “President Boakai’s swift intervention signals that Liberia intends to stay the course — building a more inclusive, transparent, and investment-friendly rail infrastructure for the future.”
