MONROVIA — The Liberian Senate Committee on National Defense, Security, Intelligence and Veterans Affairs has urged the immediate suspension of the government's vehicle registration and driver licensing arrangement with Liberia Traffic Management (LTM), warning that transferring operational control of traffic administration systems to a foreign-owned operator could expose sensitive national security infrastructure and weaken statutory authority.
The committee's warning comes as the Executive Mansion moves forward with implementation of the 2018 concession agreement and has formally notified the company that Ministry of Transport licensing and vehicle registration operations, except the inspectorate division, will be closed effective March 1, 2026, allowing LTM to assume full operational responsibility for issuing driver's licenses and registering vehicles while the agreement undergoes review.
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The letter notes: "In furtherance of this essential need to make the Concession Agreement more equitable and practical, the Government hereby invokes Section 30 of the Concession Agreement and requests that the parties meet to review and discuss these concerns in good faith. To facilitate discussions, the President has established an Inter-Ministerial Concession Committee (IMCC), chaired by the Chairman of the National Investment Commission (NIC). The IMCC will have the prerogative to raise with you, discuss with you, and pass upon a wide range of issues in a bid to address all concerns of the Government, including all issues that are impeding or have the tendency of impeding the successful implementation of the Concession Agreement in the foreseeable future.
"As we await the IMCC's deliberations and the good-faith negotiation and mutual agreement on these issues, the Government hereby informs you that, with the exception of the Inspectorate Division, all operations at the Ministry of Transport related to the issuance of driver's licenses and the registration of vehicles will be closed and severed as of March 1, 2026, paving the way for LTMI to assume full, and unfettered responsibility for the issuance of driver's licenses, the registration of vehicles, and other services as enshrined in the Concession Agreement."
In a statement issued Monday following a committee assessment, Chairman and Lofa County Senator Momo Tarnuekollie Cyrus said the matter extends beyond a commercial concession and strikes at the core of sovereign control.
"Vehicle registration and driver licensing are not commercial services," Cyrus said. "They are sovereign security instruments. Once control over those instruments leaves the state, the state introduces risk into its own security architecture."
The Senate committee has requested that President Joseph Boakai authorize a comprehensive legal, fiscal and security review before full implementation proceeds.
Executive Reaffirms Implementation
In a February 16 communication addressed to Liberia Traffic Management Chief Executive Officer Mohammed Darwich, the Ministry of State for Presidential Affairs reaffirmed the government's commitment to the concession agreement signed in 2018.
The letter stated that the government intends to revisit certain provisions to make the agreement "more equitable and practical," invoking Section 30 of the contract and establishing an Inter-Ministerial Concession Committee, chaired by the National Investment Commission, to negotiate outstanding concerns.
However, the same communication instructed that, pending those discussions, all Ministry of Transport operations related to driver licensing and vehicle registration, except the inspectorate division, will cease as of March 1, 2026, paving the way for LTM to assume full responsibility for the services.
Government officials expressed confidence that the partnership will improve efficiency, enhance service delivery and modernize the country's traffic management system.
From Modernization Project to Governance Dispute
The agreement assigns LTM responsibility for vehicle registration, driver licensing, inspection processing and centralized traffic service administration through a consolidated processing facility.
Originally introduced as a modernization initiative designed to digitize records, reduce bureaucratic delays and improve revenue collection, the project has instead evolved into one of Liberia's most contentious governance disputes.
Motorists in Monrovia have recently reported receiving separate tickets and documentation from both Ministry of Transport personnel and LTM agents, a development lawmakers say reflects overlapping authority and regulatory confusion.
Security and Data Sovereignty Concerns
Lawmakers say vehicle registration and licensing systems contain ownership records, traceable movement data and other information commonly used by security agencies to establish patterns, associations and operational routes in criminal investigations.
Cyrus warned that placing operational custody outside direct state control could complicate access to records during urgent investigations, particularly as Liberia confronts evolving regional threats including cross-border organized crime and cyber-enabled fraud.
"Modern criminal networks depend on mobility and anonymity," he said. "Traffic records allow investigators to establish patterns. Any uncertainty over custody reduces investigative efficiency."
The committee stressed that it is not alleging a breach but insists that a preventive review is necessary before the full operational transfer occurs.
Institutional Authority Dispute
In October 2024, Justice Minister Cllr. Oswald Tweh defended the agreement before the Senate, arguing the government was legally obligated to honor the contract. Transport Minister Sirleaf Tyler opposed the arrangement, warning it would effectively dismantle the ministry's statutory mandate.
In October 2024, Justice Minister Cllr. Oswald Tweh defended the agreement before the Senate, arguing that the government was legally obligated to honor the concession. Transport Minister Sirleaf Tyler, however, warned the arrangement would effectively dismantle the ministry's operational mandate.
Grand Cape Mount Senator Daba Varpilah emphasized the need for accountability, warning that the deal could transfer essential regulatory powers to private entities. "There's no need to fix what is not broken. If we move forward with this concession, we risk losing millions of dollars in revenue," Varpilah said at the time.
Maryland County Senator James Biney questioned why the agreement, reportedly signed under the previous administration, had not been implemented. He pointed to inconsistencies between two versions of the contract: one preserves the Ministry's core functions, and the other grants LTMI extensive control.
"We must clarify which version was passed, if any," Biney told the plenary.
Lofa County Senator Momo Cyrus criticized the 25-year concession period as too long and called on the Senate to insist that the Executive revoke the entire deal.
Margibi County Senator Nathaniel McGill added that the legal status of the agreement remains unclear. "The company claims it has legislative backing, but the former government at the time says that's not the version that was passed," McGill said. "It is important that this law be canceled."
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The House of Representatives later temporarily suspended implementation after the company failed to honor a legislative summons.
Just before taking office in 2024, President Boakai visited the centralized facility and expressed optimism it could improve efficiency and generate revenue once legal disputes were resolved.
But lawmakers say implementation before legal clarification risks creating parallel enforcement authority under Liberia's legal framework, which assigns traffic regulation to the Ministry of Transport in coordination with the Liberia National Police.
"When citizens cannot clearly identify the lawful regulator, enforcement credibility is affected," one senator said after the committee session.
Legislative and Public Resistance
Opposition intensified in 2025 when commercial drivers protested alleged double ticketing and excessive fines by LTM agents. More than 200 Transport Ministry employees also complained the outsourcing stripped them of operational duties.
The House of Representatives temporarily suspended implementation after the company failed to honor a legislative summons, while the Senate opened an investigation into the agreement's legality and fiscal implications.
Lawmakers reviewing the concession further questioned the revenue structure, arguing the operator would retain a significant portion of traffic-related income. The Senate security committee, however, emphasized that its intervention is centered primarily on sovereignty and control rather than commercial terms.
"No responsible state subordinates security interests to contractual convenience," Cyrus said.
