The Government of Liberia, through the executive, is resolved to privatize production, issuance, and regularization of driver’s licenses that would effectively render several hundred employees at the Ministry of Transport jobless in an economy that is already struggling, after suspension of foreign aid by the United States Government.
The executive branch of government and the 55th Legislature are currently in a tussle over the awarding of a 25-year licensing contract to the Liberia Traffic Management (LTM), a new company, at the detriment of several hundred employees of the Ministry of Transport.
We view the taking away of such a critical role from a state institution that is established by an Act of the Legislature to provide such services and awarding it to a private entity would put hundreds of family heads with extended families or dependents out of work, and the multiplying economic consequences will become unbearable.
As we write, hundreds of thousands of Liberians have turned into beggars, including the youth who are permanently unemployed. Sending hundreds more, if not thousands, home to join the already hungry population could become suicidal.
There have many calls for the executive under President Joseph Nyuma Boakai to rethink the decision in the interest of ordinary Liberians, who hardly find one square meal to eat per day, including even those employed. Imagine what lies ahead for thousands more who are forced out of the job market by this current venture.
Last week, the Joint Committee on Investment and Concessions and Transport of the House of Representatives ordered the suspension of all Liberia Traffic Management (LTM) operations, for failure to appear before lawmakers for an investigative hearing that was scheduled for Thursday, July 31, 2025, effectively returning complete operational control to the Ministry of Transport.
This was prior to a series of protests by employees from the Ministry of Transport, calling attention to the fate waiting them, if the Liberia Traffic Management were to take full control of license production and issuance to the public. But the executive seems not to be paying heed, as it is resolved in rolling out the deal that has already been consummated.
Subsequently, commercial drivers also staged a mass protest against what they described as inhumane treatment under the new agreement. The protesters decried excessive ticketing and alleged extortion by LTM officers, claiming the company is exploiting drivers under the guise of traffic enforcement.
On Thursday, July 24, 2025, the Plenary of the Liberian Senate mandated its leadership to request that President Joseph Nyuma Boakai immediately halt the implementation of the Liberia Traffic Management Incorporated (LTM-I) concession agreement until further consultations and clarity provided.
The executive, under President Boakai, should come out clearly to explain to the public how taking jobs from citizens and awarding them to a private firm improves the economy.
