On Tuesday, November 12th, two separate groupings, the National Port Authority (NPA) United Workers Association and the Concerned Youth of Liberia, strongly opposed Grand Bassa Senator Nyonblee Karnga-Lawrence’s proposal to grant autonomy to outstation ports.
According to the Port Workers, the Senate Pro-Tempore should focus on strengthening the port management system in Liberia instead of politicizing it.
The Liberian Senate Pro-Tempore continues to be embroiled in a series of condemnations from civil society, port workers, and ordinary citizens.
Many view her continual push for port autonomy as unnecessary and only meant to secure her political ambitions against the public interest.
The NPA workers see the move by Pro-Tempore as a complete distraction to the forward match of the entity.
The NPA United Workers called on the Grand Bassa Senator to disengage on creating port autonomy in the country.
Reading the statement on behalf of the workers, Madam Tracy Lal Kpehe argued that establishing port autonomy would create unnecessary burdens on the government’s Executive branch.
“We believe the establishment of Port Autonomy would be a distraction, creating unnecessary burdens on the Executive branch of government,” she asserted.
Madam Kpehe further argued that fragmenting the NPA would destabilize the country’s port infrastructure.
“Splitting the NPA would not only diminish the quality of services but also jeopardize smaller, vulnerable ports,” she explained.
According to her, the current centralized model, though not without challenges, provides a unified approach that ensures financial stability and strategic oversight.
She emphasized that the potential risks associated with Port Autonomy far outweigh any potential benefits, especially as Liberia strives for sustainable and inclusive economic growth.
The group, however, called on the Senate Pro tempore to focus on strengthening oversight of the NPA instead of pursuing autonomy.
“We urge the Senate to focus on strengthening oversight of the NPA instead of pursuing autonomy,” she concluded.
The group calls for continued collaboration to ensure that the NPA remains a key driver of Liberia’s economic development.
The workers, however, expressed their profound gratitude for the improvement of the Port under the leadership of its current Executive Director, Hon. Sekou A. M. Dukuly.
The workers, including the concerned youth, took the opportunity to highlight the positive changes at the NPA while also voicing their opposition to the Senate’s proposed move to establish Port Autonomy.
The Groups commended Dukuly for his “game-changing” leadership, noting that the NPA has undergone a remarkable transformation under his watch.
“Since Hon. Sekou A. M. Dukuly assumed leadership at the NPA, the entity has undergone a remarkable transformation,” said Lal. “We believe these positive developments should not go unnoticed.”
The workers listed several significant achievements under Dukuly’s leader, including the regularization of employee benefits and revitalization of the Port Clinic: The long-shuttered clinic was revived, ensuring better healthcare access for NPA employees, a New Travel Policy, and employee training.
The workers, through their leadership headed by Madam Kpehe, also named the traveling of twenty-five employees to China for training in port operations and related fields, aimed at enhancing their skills, empowering women in maritime, and procuring new vehicles for employees’ use.
Dukuly’s leadership includes upgrading technology by reintroducing biometric systems to improve employee efficiency, effectiveness, and punctuality at the job site, supplying modern office equipment to various departments with cooperative tools for smooth operations, and other things.
Despite celebrating these accomplishments, Verity News recently reported that Senate Pro-Tempore Nyonblee Karnga-Lawrence is widely accused of pushing for port autonomy due to what critics term as selfish political and commercial interests.
However, it is also alleged that she uses her power to play tribal cards, according to a leaked communication in this paper’s possession.
The Pro-Temp stated, “National Port Authority, Bassa Chapter, turns to a port of Mandigo tribe, leaving qualified sons and daughters of Bassa out of a job.”
The Pro-Temp claimed that Bassa people are being deprived of job opportunities, but the NPA’s central management has denied this claim.
Amid claims and counterclaims, political analysts believe that Pro-Temp Karnga-Lawrence is inciting a tribal divide, which is unbecoming of a national leader at her level.
Who’s pushing port autonomy and why?
The Liberian Senate’s recent move to push a bill intended to grant autonomy to outstation ports operating under the National Port Authority (NPA) has been widely criticized, with some experts describing it as a ‘recipe for chaos.’
Some analysts and critics who spoke with Verity News have accused Senate Pro-Temp Nyonblee Karnga-Lawrence of politicizing port management in Liberia due to selfish commercial interests geared toward gaining control of Buchanan Port as an economic base for her potential 2029 political ambition.
Verity News research shows that regional competitors such as Ghana, Nigeria, and Côte d’Ivoire have a centralized port system with multiple outstation ports operating under a single port authority in each jurisdiction.
Even after numerous calls and advocacies against an attempt to decentralize activities of Liberian Sea Ports, the Librarian Senate, under the Leadership of Pro-Tempore Nyonblee Karnga-Lawrence, continues to pursue the passage of the said Bill, which raises concern about her motive.
On Tuesday, October 17, at the height of the Liberian Senate’s Agenda was a report from the Joint Committee on Public Corporation and Judiciary, Human Rights Claims and Petitions on a Bill for “An Act to Create Liberia Sea Port Regulatory Authority and Liberia Sea Port Decentralization.
Without clear reasons, the Liberian Senate could not debate the Joint Committee on Public Corporation and Judiciary, Human Rights Claims and Petitions report on the Bill for “An Act to Create Liberia Sea Port Regulatory Authority and Liberia Sea Port Decentralization.
Experts oppose this latest move by the Liberian Senate, with some describing it as a recipe for chaos. Among the most vocal critics is David F. Williams, former Managing Director of the NPA.
In a strong statement shared with Verity Newspaper, Williams makes a compelling case against the Senate’s proposal, arguing that such a move would be economically counterproductive and contrary to best practices in the global port industry.
“The recommendation by the Liberian Senate to make the outstation ports autonomous should be rejected in its entirety,” Williams states emphatically.
“There is no empirical study to support such a dramatic shift, and it does not align with port industry best practices, whether in the sub-region or globally.”
The former NPA Manager warns that introducing multiple autonomous port authorities in Liberia would lead to chaos, inefficiency, and a fragmentation of services—a scenario that Liberia can ill afford.
“If we were to adopt the Senate’s recommendation,” Williams cautions, “it would create a recipe for chaos and fragmentation, which is both unwarranted and inefficient. There exists no model in the sub-region where ports operate autonomously in such a manner, and for good reason—it simply doesn’t work.”
Other experts have pointed out the risks of granting autonomy to outstation ports.
They argue, “Many ports, especially those in less commercially viable locations, are not financially self-sufficient. Smaller ports would likely face operational and economic shortfalls without the NPA’s financial backing.
The NPA currently absorbs liabilities associated with these ports, and autonomy could lead to unsustainable debts and even closure in areas unable to self-fund.”
They claimed that granting port autonomy could create a precedent that encourages countries with land borders to seek similar autonomy over border management, potentially undermining national security and control. According to them, this could weaken the state’s unified authority over national infrastructure and security.
“Decentralized management may create vulnerabilities in port operations’ security and regulatory protocols. With different ports following independent management policies, security and oversight could become fragmented, increasing risks related to smuggling, unauthorized entry, and regulatory non-compliance.
Autonomous ports might create competitive redundancies rather than collaborative efficiencies, leading to duplication of efforts, underutilization of assets, and inconsistent service standards that could disrupt Liberia’s port system.”
