Senator Francis S. Dopoh, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Posts and Telecommunications, has sharply criticized the government for what he described as the continued marginalization of Liberian-owned businesses in the national economy.
Speaking during the Senate’s Thursday session, October 30, the River Gee County lawmaker accused the Public Procurement and Concessions Commission (PPCC) of failing to enforce a key provision of the 2024 National Budget Law, which mandates that at least 25 percent of all government goods, services, and capital projects be awarded to Liberian-owned firms.
“Since the passage of this law, there is no record showing how Liberian-owned businesses have benefited,” Senator Dopoh said. “Liberians must be partakers, not spectators, in their economy. To achieve this, Liberian-owned businesses must be supported and included in public procurement.”
The Senator further reminded his colleagues that the law requires all government ministries and agencies to submit quarterly reports to the Legislature—through the Legislative Budget Office—detailing compliance with the 25 percent local participation rule.
In response to Dopoh’s concerns, the Senate plenary has agreed to formally summon the PPCC to provide an update on its compliance and to explain why it has failed to respond to a similar legislative request issued in June 2025.
Dopoh stressed that many local businesses are struggling to survive and warned that the government’s neglect of Liberian entrepreneurs contradicts efforts to promote national ownership and economic inclusion. “This advocacy is necessary because Liberians have always been spectators in their economy. They still are, and that must change,” he said.
His remarks come amid an ongoing dispute involving ABK Incorporated, a Liberian company that has accused the PPCC and a joint evaluation committee—including representatives from the Ministry of Public Works, the PPCC, and the Office of the Vice President—of unfairly handling a recent bid for the supply of 285 machines.
According to ABK, the committee failed to apply the legally mandated 15 percent margin of preference for Liberian-owned firms, despite the company offering a 0.5 percent discount on its bid. The company argues that after applying these provisions, its adjusted offer of US$21,376,432.42 should have ranked lower than the foreign firm Evergreen Import & Export Federation, which bid US$21,646,035.00.
Despite this, ABK was deemed “unresponsive,” while American Procurement Service, another bidder, was disqualified for exceeding the US$30 million threshold with an offer of US$30,382,479.00.
Procurement experts and civil society advocates have condemned the situation, warning that failure to uphold the local preference clause undermines Liberia’s Public Procurement and Concessions Act and contradicts President Joseph Nyuma Boakai’s stated commitment to promoting local content in national development programs.
Several stakeholders are now calling for an independent investigation into the procurement process and urging the Legislature to take stronger action to ensure Liberians are active participants—not spectators—in their own economy.
