— As Coordinator alleges higher-ups’ Interference secretariat’s work
The future of Liberia’s Japanese Rice Grant program is under threat as the Coordinator of the Japanese Counterpart Fund Secretariat, Steve Flahn-Paye, has raised serious concerns about alleged procurement violations and undue interference by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs under the leadership of Minister Sara Beysolow Nyanti.
Speaking on OK FM’s Morning Rush program on Monday, March 10, 2025, Flahn-Paye alleged that under the leadership of Foreign Minister Sara Beysolow Nyanti, there has been “unprecedented interference” in the management of the grant.
According to him, the Ministry has attempted to undermine the Secretariat’s authority in overseeing the rice grant’s bidding and evaluation processes.
“Of late, we have been receiving some unprecedented interference under the leadership of Minister Beysolow,” Flahn-Paye said. “First, they wrote to the Embassy of Japan stating that what we do should be handled through the Deputy Minister for International Cooperation and Economic Integration.”
He revealed that after Japan’s Ambassador to Liberia intervened and reaffirmed the Secretariat’s authority, Minister Beysolow apologized for the earlier interference.
“The Ambassador came to Monrovia, met with the Minister, and later they called me in and said, ‘This has been the man who has been managing this program, and we appreciate the way he has handled it. You people should give him the support,’” Flahn-Paye explained. “Right there, the Minister told me, ‘I am sorry for whatever happened.’”
Focusing on the latest batch of rice under the grant, Flahn-Paye described how the bidding process is supposed to be transparent and follow a rigorous evaluation. He accused the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of attempting to manipulate the outcome by favoring a company, Northwest, which he claimed did not meet the required criteria.
“The bidding is done in a transparent way,” he emphasized. “At the bid opening, every institution or entity is represented, and the bids are opened in the presence of all participants. This way, everyone knows who submitted the highest, who submitted the lowest, and who met the conditions.”
According to Flahn-Paye, the bid evaluation committee included representatives from the Liberia Agency for Community Empowerment (LACE), the Ministry of Commerce, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and his own Monitoring and Evaluation Officer. This team conducted a due diligence assessment, which found that Northwest did not meet the necessary standards.
“Northwest should not have been selected,” he insisted. “There are conditions you must meet when handling rice. It must be stored in a well-built warehouse with the capacity for fumigation, forklifts, and proper ventilation. The warehouse I inspected could not hold 87,500 bags of rice, and the company lacked the marketing network to sell that amount within the four-month timeframe required.”
Flahn-Paye expressed frustration that despite the comprehensive evaluation process, there were attempts to force the selection of Northwest.
“If someone can just decide who wins the bid, then the Public Procurement and Concessions Commission (PPCC) becomes irrelevant,” he argued. “Why should we spend $4,750 to publish bid notices in three newspapers and go through an entire process, only for someone to handpick a company?”
He disclosed that Founta Corporation and UCI were the companies recommended by the evaluation team based on merit but claimed that external pressure was being exerted to favor Northwest.
“Prior to the bidding, someone suggested that the Dukuly company (Northwest) should move the Japanese rice along with the Chinese rice—I said no. This is a program under the Japanese Overseas Development for Africa. We monetize the rice to support Liberia’s socioeconomic development, and we must follow the bidding process,” he insisted.
Fahn-Paye emphasized the positive impact of the Japanese Rice Grant over the years, citing several major infrastructure projects funded by the sale of Japanese rice. He explained that the first rice sold raised $899,000 for SME support at the Ministry of Commerce. Additionally, $9.9 million was used to build three bridges in Grand Cape Mount County—in Dia, Talleh, and Kaylah.
He further elaborated on other projects funded by the grant, mentioning the Duala Market which cost $3.2 million, the Omega Market also at $3.2 million, and the Gbarnga Market which required $8,090. The grant also funded 200 housing units in Sass town, Grand Kru County for $586,000, the Liberia-Japan Wood Workshop at $2.6 million, the Lofa Women’s Center at $6,000, and a Human Resource Capacity Building Project at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs amounting to $731,412. Additionally, $1.4 million was used to construct four rice milling warehouses.
“This money isn’t for free rice to be distributed—it is to support Liberia’s development,” he clarified. “We open an escrow account at the Central Bank of Liberia under the name Japanese Food Aid. After the rice is sold, the Inter-Ministerial Committee meets to decide on unfunded projects to present to the President for approval. We then seek further approval from the Embassy of Japan.”
Fahn-Paye warned that continued interference in the process could lead to the cancellation of the Japanese Food Aid program.
“I am speaking out because I fear this could be the last rice Liberia receives if these violations continue,” he cautioned. “When Minister Beysolow’s office assistant, Saran Kabbah-Jones, halted the process, it was a clear violation of procurement laws.”
He called on President Joseph Boakai to intervene and ensure the integrity of the bidding process is maintained.
“I hope the President is listening,” Fahn-Paye urged. “If this interference continues, it will embarrass the President and could cause the Japanese government to cancel our Food Aid program altogether.”
