Freeport, Monrovia – The National Port Authority (NPA) and its Board of Directors dissents Senate’s decision to grant outstation Ports autonomy status.
Recently, the Senate’s Committee on Public Corporation and Public Works, following an assessment, recommended that various ports including the Ports of Buchanan, Harper and Greenville be given autonomy.
According to a press release from the Department of Public Relations of the National Port Authority, The NPA Board sees the move by the Liberian Senate as premature and has the propensity to undermine the act of creating the National Port Authority of Liberia.
The board argues that the National Port Authority 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 NPA 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.
According to the board, 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.
Meanwhile, the NPA Board of Directors is calling on the Legislature to rescind its decision adding that decentralization can happen without necessarily granting autonomy to outstation Ports.
By: Alphanso G. Kalama
