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ADNews-Monrovia, Liberia: The President of Liberia, Joseph Nyuma Boakai, has received the final version of the most debated National Port Authority (LPA) decentralization bill to empower local port facilities and maintain Full accountability.
The bill, which has generated significant public and legislative debate, is intended to strengthen port governance, empower local port facilities, and enhance accountability in the management of Liberia’s seaports and inland ports.
President Boakai received the legislation from the leadership of the Liberian Senate during their visit to the Executive Mansion on Tuesday, July 14, 2026.
If signed into law, the proposed legislation will significantly reform the country’s port management structure by granting greater operational and financial autonomy to Liberia’s major ports, limiting the centralized authority currently exercised by the National Port Authority (NPA) over the administration, revenue management, and development of the country’s various port facilities.
The new framework is expected to allow individual ports to make independent investment decisions, improve revenue generation, and contribute more directly to local economic development.
It could also reshape the leadership structure of Liberia’s port sector by creating separate management arrangements for individual ports, influencing future appointments and reappointments of senior port officials, including the Managing Director of the National Port Authority.
The House of Representatives concurred with the Liberian Senate in passing the bill during its 19th Day Sitting of the Second Quarter of the Third Session held on Tuesday, July 14, 2026.
The proposed legislation seeks to establish an independent regulatory body responsible for overseeing the regulation and sustainable development of seaport and inland port operations and services throughout Liberia. The authority is expected to promote safer, more transparent, orderly, and efficient port operations while creating an enabling environment for investment and improved service delivery.
The Liberian Senate initially passed the bill on November 19, 2024, following the submission of a report by its Joint Committee on Public Corporations and the Judiciary, Human Rights, Claims and Petitions.
According to the Committee’s report, the National Port Authority has, since its establishment, been responsible for managing Liberia’s four principal seaports, the Freeport of Monrovia, the Port of Buchanan, the Port of Greenville, and the Port of Harper.
However, the Committee observed that much of the NPA’s administrative attention and investment have been concentrated on the Freeport of Monrovia, resulting in comparatively limited development of the country’s other ports.
Lawmakers believe the establishment of an Independent Seaport and Inland Ports Regulatory Authority will decentralize the administration of Liberia’s ports by enabling individual seaports to operate with greater autonomy. Under the proposed arrangement, ports will have the ability to make independent investment decisions, expand revenue-generating opportunities, and contribute more significantly to both the national economy and the economic development of their host communities.
The Legislature further believes that the new regulatory framework will improve accountability, enhance operational efficiency, encourage private sector participation, and better position Liberia’s ports to support regional trade and economic growth.
With the concurrence of the House of Representatives, the bill has successfully passed both Houses of the National Legislature and now awaits presidential action as part of the constitutional process for its enactment into law.
At the same time, the House of Representatives has reaffirmed its commitment to supporting legislative measures aimed at promoting economic growth, institutional reform, and the sustainable development of Liberia’s strategic infrastructure.
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