The Executive Director of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Emmanuel K. Urey Yarkpawolo, has announced that the Liberian government has finalized an agreement to purchase the agency's headquarters in Mamba Point, ending years of rental payments, while unveiling a €100,000 laboratory machine donated by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to boost the country's environmental monitoring capacity.
Speaking at the Ministry of Information's regular press briefing, Yarkpawolo said the EPA has for years operated from the Bright Building under a rental arrangement and decided to negotiate its purchase to reduce long-term government expenditure.
"I am pleased to announce that we have concluded the agreement. The contract has been signed by the General Auditing Commission (GAC), the Minister of Finance and Development Planning, the Minister of Justice, and the owners of the property. Payment is now being processed," he said.
According to Yarkpawolo, an independent valuation estimated the building's worth at approximately US$800,000, but the government successfully negotiated a favorable purchase price.
Keep up with the latest headlines on WhatsApp | LinkedIn
"We believe this is a wise investment because it will save the government money over time," he said.
The EPA Executive Director also announced that the agency has received an Elemental Analyzer valued at €100,000, donated by the IAEA after Liberia's laboratory met the institution's competitive technical requirements.
"I also want to inform the public that the EPA has acquired laboratory equipment valued at €100,000. The equipment, known as an Elemental Analyzer, was donated by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). We earned this equipment through a competitive process after our laboratory demonstrated the required capacity," he said.
He disclosed that a technical team from the IAEA is currently in Liberia installing the equipment and training EPA personnel on its operation.
"Earlier, we sent two members of our team to Manchester Metropolitan University in the United Kingdom for specialized training on how to operate the machine," he said.
Yarkpawolo added that the EPA is working with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to officially commission the laboratory, expressing hope that the event could form part of Liberia's Independence Day celebrations.
"Owning our headquarters and strengthening our laboratory are important milestones. Government should own its public facilities rather than continue paying rent indefinitely. Governments are permanent institutions, and it is important that they invest in assets that belong to the Liberian people," he emphasized.
Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters
Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox
The EPA boss also addressed a statement issued by the Sustainable Development Institute (SDI) regarding allegations against Golden Veroleum Liberia (GVL), thanking the organization for drawing attention to environmental concerns.
He said the EPA had already begun preparations for nationwide environmental monitoring before receiving the communication and has since carried out assessments related to the complaint.
"The only clarification I wish to make is that the Institute stated it had made countless efforts to follow up with the EPA. To my knowledge, no such repeated follow-up was made. They have my phone number, WhatsApp contact, and email address," he asserted.
Yarkpawolo reaffirmed the EPA's commitment to conducting a thorough and impartial investigation into the allegations against GVL, stressing that the agency has already constituted a team to investigate the matter.
"The EPA is not refusing to conduct an investigation. If there has been any delay, it is simply part of the process whenever there is a complaint against any company. We have already constituted a team to look into these allegations," he said.
