An enraged President Joseph Nyumah Boakai has ordered an urgent investigation into the March 30, power outage at Roberts International Airport (RIA) which put the lives of many travelers at risk, directing a high-level committee to investigate the incident for decisive actions — assess the situation and implement long-term solutions to prevent future disruptions.
The investigative committee, led by National Security Advisor Kofi Woods, was announced through a statement on Thursday, April 3, and is currently engaging with the Liberia Airport Authority (LAA) management to thoroughly examine the cause of the blackout and propose corrective measures.
The outage, reportedly caused by a shock that affected the transmitter line and damaged the automatic switch, temporarily disrupted airport operations, raising serious concerns over infrastructure reliability.
Sources close to the presidency told the Daily Observer on Thursday, April 3, that the President was enraged when informed about the outage at the RIA — a situation that plunged the country into a serious security problem.
“The President was very angry when he was informed about the situation at the RIA. He got even angrier when he saw it all over the news the next day,” an Executive Mansion source told the Observer. “That situation had serious security and economic implications. It has the potential to drive investors who are in the country away and make others who want to come in to invest reluctant to do so.”
Another source noted, “The President is also considering punitive measures if findings point to negligence of duties or slacking on the job.
“The fact that the President has chosen his National Security Advisor to lead this process means it is very serious, and heads will roll out of this investigation. People who are given tasks to perform must be on top of their game, especially at sensitive areas like the airport, seaports and other areas. These are our gateways and from these places the country’s reputation can be damaged forever.”
The committee, according to yesterday’s statement, is examining the issue and is expected to provide recommendations to prevent such incidents in the future.
The committee had a meeting with the management of the LAA and LEC as part of the committee’s mandate to thoroughly investigate the power crisis and present a detailed report and plan of action to President Boakai.
However, the LAA, alongside the LEC, previously expressed its commitment to resolving the power supply issue during a Senate Joint Committee on Hydrocarbons, Energy, and Environment hearing on April 2, 2025.
There, officials from the LAA and the LEC laid the blame on a “bird strike”. Specifically, they claimed that a bird strike damaged an isolator connected to a transformer, which caused a temporary loss of power to the terminal.
Going forward, the Executive Mansion statement said immediate efforts are already underway to address the technical damage caused by the power outage.
The Liberia Airport Authority is collaborating closely with the investigation committee to identify and implement long-term solutions to improve the power infrastructure at Roberts International Airport and to ensure smooth, uninterrupted operations moving forward.
Meanwhile, the LAA expressed deep regret over the incident. In an official statement issued yesterday, the LAA apologized for the incident and assured the public that decisive measures are being taken to strengthen the airport’s power infrastructure.
The Airport Authority also acknowledged the inconvenience caused to passengers, airport staff, and other stakeholders by the unforeseen incident. “We deeply regret the disruption this caused and fully understand the concerns that have been raised regarding the reliability of the airport’s power systems,” the statement read.
The authority also emphasized its commitment to preventing future power outages and bolstering the resilience of the airport’s electrical systems.
“We are taking decisive steps to strengthen the resilience of the airport’s power systems,” the statement continued. “We appreciate the patience and understanding of all affected parties.”
