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ADNews-Monrovia,Liberia:A leaked government document has revealed that Liberia’s finance and justice ministers did not personally sign the controversial third amendment to ArcelorMittal Liberia’s (AML) Mineral Development Agreement (MDA), raising fresh concerns about transparency in the Boakai administration’s handling of major concessions.
Instead, proxies signed the document on their behalf, marked with the abbreviation “PP” — meaning per pro, or “on behalf of.” The proxies’ names do not appear on the document and are not identified as acting officials.
Justice Minister Oswald Tweh said in a statement that he was abroad when the signing took place and had authorized his deputy to sign in his place. He added that he intends to personally review the accompanying Rail Standard Operating Procedures (RSOP), which he described as “the more contentious” component of the agreement.
Finance Minister Augustine Ngafuan has not publicly commented on the matter.
The revelation has intensified scrutiny of the opaque process that led to the signing of the AML amendment on Oct. 31, 2025. Sources close to the Inter-Ministerial Concessions Committee (IMCC) allege that the signing was conducted behind closed doors under pressure from the Ministry of State for Presidential Affairs.
Former Mines and Energy Minister Wilmot Paye reportedly refused to sign the agreement, citing objections to several of its terms. He was dismissed shortly afterward.
Deputy Minister for Administration Eudora Blay Pritchard later signed on behalf of the Ministry of Mines and Energy. She reported confirmed her signature in a phone interview with the Liberian Observer but declined to discuss the ministry’s role in the process.
Ministry insiders confirmed that Pritchard had not been involved in the negotiation process and was instructed at the last minute to represent the ministry. “She was never part of the negotiations,” one source said. “She was simply called at the last minute and told to come and sign.”
Observers warn that the absence of direct signatures from key ministers, and the involvement of officials who were not part of the negotiation process, could trigger serious questions when the agreement is presented to the Legislature for ratification. Lawmakers typically summon signatories to testify on the content and terms of concession agreements.
Under Liberian law, negotiations for such amendments are to be led by the National Investment Commission (NIC), which chairs the IMCC. However, multiple government officials allege that the Ministry of State for Presidential Affairs dominated much of the process.
Minister of State Sam Stevquoah, a former senior employee of ArcelorMittal Liberia, reportedly played a leading role in the talks. He has denied claims of interference, telling reporters earlier that the NIC “remained in charge of the negotiations” and described it as “an ongoing process.”
The IMCC traditionally includes the NIC chairperson and the ministers of finance, justice, labor, and internal affairs, along with the sector-specific minister, in this case, mines and energy.
Critics say the controversy could erode confidence in President Joseph Boakai’s reform agenda, which emphasizes transparency and accountability under his “ARREST” development framework.
The timing is particularly sensitive: just days before the signing, the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee praised Liberia for “strong progress toward a transparent, multi-user rail system under a truly independent operator framework.”
The disputed signing now risks casting doubt on that commendation and could complicate Liberia’s efforts to demonstrate reform in its extractive sector.
Officials from the Ministries of Finance, Justice, Mines and Energy, and State are yet to issue formal statements on the matter.
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