The Joint Committee on Investment and Concessions and Transport of the House of Representatives has ordered the suspension of all Liberia Traffic Management (LTM) operations, effectively returning full operational control to the Ministry of Transport.
By Kruah Thompson
Capitol Hill, August 1, 2025: This move comes after LTM failed to appear before lawmakers for an investigative hearing on Thursday, July 31, 2025.
The hearing was triggered by a petition from aggrieved employees of the Ministry of Transport and from commercial drivers, raising concerns over the concession granted to LTM.
Recently, more than 200 employees of the Ministry of Transport marched to the Capitol on July 16, 2025, to submit a petition to Speaker Koon, urging legislative scrutiny of the 25-year LTM concession.
The petition highlighted concerns over legality, job losses (affecting at least 265 ministry employees), and potential revenue losses exceeding US $275 million over the concession period.
Speaker Richard Nagbe Koon officially received and tabled the petition on the floor, under the oversight of the House’s Joint Committees on Concessions, which are empowered to review and probe compliance with government concession agreements.
On Thursday, July 24, 2025, the Plenary of the Liberian Senate formally mandated its leadership to request that President Joseph Nyuma Boakai immediately halt the implementation of the Liberia Traffic Management Incorporated (LTM-I) concession agreement.
Four days after the Senate hearing, on Monday, July 28, 2025, 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.
Upon receiving the petition, the Joint Committee on Investment and Concessions and Transport of the House of Representatives summoned the Liberia Traffic Management Inc. (LTM) and others.
But while all other summoned parties honored the Committee’s invitation, LTM failed to attend without providing any written explanation, delaying the progress of the investigation.
Consequently, the Joint Committee issued a “still order” suspending all LTM operations pending a full legislative review of the concession agreement.
In the meantime, the Ministry of Transport has been mandated to resume its full statutory duties, including motor vehicle registration, issuance of driver’s licenses, and enforcement of all transportation-related regulations in collaboration with the Liberia National Police.
The Chief Clerk of the House has been instructed to formally communicate the Committee’s decisions to the relevant authorities. Additionally, the Inspector General of Police has been tasked with assisting the Ministry of Transport in enforcing Liberia’s motor vehicle and traffic laws in the absence of LTM.
In addition, LTM and its legal counsel have been summoned to appear before the Joint Committee on Monday to respond to charges of contempt for repeated failure to comply with legislative summons.
Meanwhile, the Liberia Traffic Management Inc. (LTM) concession agreement was officially signed on September 11, 2018, between the Government of Liberia and LTM to modernize, digitize, and manage the country’s transportation and traffic systems with a focus on generating revenue, improving road safety, and reducing corruption in traffic enforcement.
It was ratified by the Legislature on December 21, 2018, and later publicly published in a handbill on January 7, 2019.
Although the deal was dormant for a time, on January 24, 2025, President Boakai officially endorsed and reaffirmed the agreement, and it was fully activated following a Supreme Court ruling on May 28, 2025, clearing the way for operations to proceed on Wednesday, July 16, 2025, under the Boakai administration.
