Montserrado County Senator Saah Joseph has been vocal, expressing his disappointment over the passage of the Ivanhoe/HPX agreement, saying that the deal, ratified in its current form, is not in Liberia's interest.
Sen. Joseph, who recently chaired the Senate Joint Committee that investigated the agreement further, expressed deep disappointment and a sense of betrayal after the Joint Committee's report failed to secure the required number of signatures for Senate deliberation.
Sen. Joseph argued that all committee members present during the hearings agreed to sign the report, but procedural barriers prevented them from doing so in session.
He emphasized that the Committee's recommendations, particularly those ensuring the people of Nimba County are informed and that the company is held to strict infrastructural commitments, must be prioritized.
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Key recommendations included requiring Ivanhoe/HPX to pave roads and railways in Nimba within 2 years and to include a 5-year commitment clause, failure to fulfill which would result in contract termination.
He insisted that he would only support the deal if it demonstrably benefited the people of Liberia, stating, "to admit, this doesn't benefit the people of Liberia."
XIII. FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
Based on its review, deliberations, and the evidence before it, the Joint Committee recommends that the Concession and Access Agreement be approved subject to the following amendments:
1. That the Agreement provides that the 25-mile heavy-haul road from the Guinea-Liberia border to Tokadeh shall be fully paved prior to the commencement of any iron ore haulage;
2. The Agreement should provide that the Social contributions to affected communities shall be structured so that Ivanhoe is not directly involved in the implementation of community projects, that the countries and affected communities be the only parties to implement;
3. The Agreement shall explicitly require Ivanhoe to construct the rail line from the Guinean mine to the Tokadeh rail connection within two (2) years after the start of commercial production, consistent with the feasibility study as indicated by the Executive;
4. Upon ratification, the US$37 million paid by Ivanhoe shall be deemed a non-refundable signature bonus and not a loan or advance;
5. The Government of Liberia shall consider increasing the access fee from the current range of US$1.95-US$1.55 per ton to a range of US$3.00-US$2.00 per ton;
6. The Agreement shall provide that if approval for the transshipment of Guinean iron ore through Liberia is not granted by the Government of Guinea within five (5) years, the Agreement shall automatically terminate.
7. The Joint Committee further recommends that Clause 16.1(d)(ii) be amended to clearly ensure that references to a National Rail Authority or an "NRA Act" do not constrain the constitutional authority of the Legislature, and that any decision to establish such an authority shall be made solely through separate legislative enactment, without giving rise to any contractual default or liability under the Agreement.
Meanwhile, following the lack of majority signatures on the Joint Committee's report, the Senate's presiding officer, President of the Senate Vice President Jeremiah K. Koung, discharged the committee of further responsibility. The plenary then considered the House of Representatives' engrossed version of the bill.
Senator Abraham Dillon moved for the plenary to seize the matter and vote in concurrence with the House of Representatives. This motion was adopted, and the Senate proceeded with a recorded vote.
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The Senate voted overwhelmingly in favor of the Ivanhoe Atlantic Concession agreement: twenty senators voted "yes," one voted "no," and four abstained. Senator Saah Joseph cast the lone "no" vote, while Senators Findlay, J. Gbleh-bo Brown, Amarah Konneh, and Wellington G. Smith abstained. With this result, the Senate officially endorsed the agreement and prepared to inform the Chief Executive of its passage.
" With twenty yes, four astern and one voting no, the vote is carried and communication with the Chief Executive that Ivanhoe has been endorsed," VP Koung noted.
However, Sen. Joseph indicated his intention to share the Joint Committee's recommendations publicly, citing his concerns about transparency and the deal's potential shortcomings for Liberia. -Edited by Othello B. Garblah.
