Monrovia — Trumpeted as a major game-changer for the Joseph Boakai administration, the fate of 285 yellow machines, first announced by Minister of State Without Portfolio, Mamaka Bility at a cabinet retreat last May, has since been in limbo.
The fact that the machines were announced in the absence of a procurement process or legislative approval, raised some eyebrows. Nevertheless, the administration announced that the deal was sealed and that the machines were loaded on a ship enroute to Monrovia for distribution among Liberia's 15 counties. This announcement sparked public outcry and raised numerous questions. The government, through Information Minister Jerolinmek Piah, later backtracked, denying that an agreement had been consummated and stating that negotiations were ongoing to procure the machines.
Despite controversies surrounding the deal, Liberians were ecstatic over the announcement that the Boakai administration had arranged to purchase 285 "yellow machines" to begin the most extensive road building and maintenance program in postwar Liberia. The announcement made by Senior Administration official, Minister of State without Portfolio, Mamaka Bility illuminated the challenges in building and maintaining roads and was part of President Boakai's "No car stuck in the mud" mantra, a promise made during the elections in 2023. The announcement on the proposed purchase of the 285 yellow machines was made at a Cabinet Retreat at the EJS Ministerial Complex in Monrovia.
However, several months after the announcement was made, with public expectations high and the country's road network still challenged by perennial problems, impassable and obstructing the movement of goods and people, the purchase and delivery of the 285 yellow machines, 19 slated for each country is mired in bureaucratic red tape, dishonesty and personal interests of some officials and their local business allies. A Frontpage investigation into the status of the yellow machines reveals that some powerful forces within the executive and the legislature allied to local influential business interests have resolved to obstruct the purchase.
It can be recalled that President Boakai indicated that South African businessman and Pan Africanist Robert Gumede of GM Earthmoving Equipment, principal owner of Guma Group a diversified afro-global conglomerate with operations on several continents had proposed to finance, deliver, and maintain the 285 yellow machines to upgrade and maintain the country's network. After the announcement, skeptics, mainly from the opposition and civil society, began to question the structure of the deal: pricing structure, financing terms, maintenance, warranty, and ability of GM Earthmoving Equipment to deliver on its promises. As a result, Gumede with support of the South African embassy near Monrovia has sought to allay the skeptics by providing ample evidence of the group's ability to perform. However, despite the assurances and documented ability of the group to perform, the purchase of the 285 yellow machine remains shrouded in mystery. It is evident that some local heavy-duty equipment suppliers have injected themselves into the fray by using powerful politicians to obstruct the purchase from GM Earthmoving Equipment.
FrontpageAfrica has learned that the types of equipment being offered by the GM Earthmoving Equipment are vastly superior to any that local suppliers have proposed to the government. The company is an official supplier for SANY, the Chinese earth moving equipment giant. SANY is the third largest heavy equipment manufacturer in the world, the first in its industry in China to enter the Financial Times (FT) 500 and the Forbes 2000 global rankings.
The company has global subsidiaries including those in the United States focusing on research and development, production, sales, and servicing of heavy-duty industrial equipment. Besides the superior quality of SANY products, industry experts told FrontpageAfrica that the values of road building machines are not necessarily in the prices, but aftermarket support.
Warranty, Original equipment manufacturer (OEM), OEM spare parts, advanced OEM Telematics systems embedded with Artificial Intelligence, OEM approved maintenance, training, and sustainability of operations. Furthermore, the GM Earthmoving Equipment is not asking for a sovereign or international bank guarantee, a financing model that local suppliers would be unable to provide.
In the post war period, Liberia has been known to be a graveyard for heavy duty equipment due to the lack of official warranty, OEM parts, maintenance, product support and especially the lack of trained operators. Liberia also requires fully acclimated heavy-duty equipment due to the proximity to the Ocean, susceptibility to rust and other forms of extreme weather conditions. Major heavy-duty equipment manufacturers must take these factors into consideration in developing new markets and train official local suppliers to meet those challenges. Meanwhile, SANY has indicated that they have no official local suppliers to distribute and maintain their products in Liberia.
Officials of the Liberian government familiar with the transaction say the GM Earthmoving Equipment came to a reasonable agreement with the government on types of equipment, quality, prices, after-market support, warranty period based on thousands of hours and up to fifteen years extension lifespan depending upon preventative maintenance schedule, training, and product support.
The officials also say that the company has made it clear that if any local supplier with official ties to any major global manufacturer of heavy-duty equipment that can offer the same price, after-market support, warranty, OEM spare parts, maintenance and possible financing arrangement, the government should engage the supplier.
However, up to date no local supplier with official ties to any major Original Equipment manufacturers has made an offer to match GM Earthmoving Equipment. Yet the matter of the 285 yellow machines remains unresolved with only four months left before the beginning of the rainy season with torrential downfall. If the matter remains unresolved, it will mean that the Boakai Administration will lose two years without any significant road building effort and would undermine public support for the administration as road building and maintenance was a key element in winning the election in 2023.
Lost in the aura surrounding the yellow machines saga, is a massive infighting within the administration for control over the narratives as multiple officials appear eyeing the President's attention. Some are hellbent on sabotaging the President's program to fix all counties roads and bridges for a better Liberia.
In its own admission, the government previously noted through Information Minister Jerolinmek Piah that the presentation of the trucks last May, was simply to display what the government intends to do but has not reached that decision, adding that all lawful procedures will be met before a decision can be reached. "Government did not decide and has not made a decision on the earth-moving equipment. There was only a video that came out unveiling the vehicles that the government is looking at but has not decided to have yellow machines, and once it is concluded, that will be announced," Mr. Piah said at the time.
One year into the administration - and as President Boakai prepares to deliver his second annual message, the machines seen as a major component of government deliverables is still entangled in a messy dilemma as the government faces criticisms over not just the lack of movement on the machines, but the much-needed deliverables key to outlining government achievements. The population cannot wait to see the 285 yellow machines deployed throughout the country to improve the lives of Liberians and bring food and transport prices down.
Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters
Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox
The machines saga has also drawn the attention of some legislators and senators, worried over the seeming lack of transparency and accountability on the matter. However, GM Earthmoving Equipment has made it unmistakably clear that it wants the Boakai Administration to follow the procurement laws of Liberia and compare apples to apples, namely OEM approved dealership, the quality, prices, OEM approved maintenance, OEM spare parts, OEM Training, OEM warranty, after-market support and financing model when required and they do not intend to compete with local suppliers with similar capabilities but their desire is to promote the development priorities of the Boakai Government.
The company says it is keen on supporting Liberia's development in infrastructure (rail), energy, minerals, manufacturing, tourism, and housing estates, in the grand objective to promote Liberian economic empowerment through inward investments to transform the country's socio-economic development.
Road building and heavy equipment experts say it is time that the Boakai government and legislature finalize the purchase and delivery of the machines to start on the much-needed road network upgrade, repair, and maintenance for all counties. President Boakai needs to act decisively against those who are sabotaging the 285-equipment set to benefit the country. It does not matter who the OEM approved supplier is, but it is time the President leads on this matter, otherwise the saboteurs will continue to stop infrastructure development in the Republic.
