MONROVIA: The Board of Directors of the National Port Authority (NPA) has condemned the proposal by the Liberian Senate to grant outstations ports in Liberia autonomy.
The NPA Board says the move by the Liberian Senate has the propensity to undermine the act creating the National Port Authority of Liberia.
The National Port Authority (NPA) was established by an Act of the National Legislature in 1967 and amended in 1970 as a state-owned corporation to manage, plan, and build all public ports in Liberia.
The Board said the Act creating the NPA gives it the authority to serve as a regulatory body overseeing the operations of the Freeport of Monrovia, the Ports of Buchanan, Greenville, and Harper.
The NPA Board said the Senate’s move to grant autonomy to outstation ports categorically undermines and disregards the distinct roles and responsibilities of the National Port Authority to regulate and supervise all the ports.
In a press release issued on August 1, 2024, the NPA Board called on the National Legislature to rescind its proposal, calling for the granting of autonomy to outstation Ports in Liberia, adding, decentralization does not mean autonomy.
The NPA Board said, it strongly objects to the Senate’s assertion that the inefficiency of certain ports in Liberia is due to the centralization of their operations.
The NPA Board emphasized that claims by the Senate that to make Port autonomy is gear toward providing jobs to locals in the outstation Port areas were false and misleading.
According to the NPA Board, over 95% of existing employees at these outstation ports are qualified residents of the counties who are currently employed by the NPA which challenged the Senate’s proposal for increased autonomy to create local job opportunities.
The NPA Board said the Senate’s Joint Committee recommendations to President Joseph Boakai to issue an executive order to give the NPA operational control over outstation ports contravenes the Act creating the National Port Authority.
The National Port Authority’s board asserts that the Management of the NPA, headed by Sekou Dukuly, has displayed unwavering dedication and commitment to the advancement of all ports under the National Port Authority.
The NPA, therefore, called on the National Legislature to provide budgetary allocations that will help buttress the efforts of the NPA Management aimed at addressing some of the infrastructure and operational problems faced by outstation ports.
The NPA Board pointed out that over the past six years, Ports operations in the southeastern parts of Liberia were completely challenging with infrastructures lying in ruins, and operational capabilities at its lowest in decades.