PAYNESVILLE — The Association of Liberian Construction Contractors (ALCC) has called on President Joseph Nyuma Boakai to establish a government-backed construction equipment pool, arguing that the lack of heavy machinery remains the single greatest obstacle preventing Liberian-owned firms from competing for major infrastructure contracts.
The proposal was presented during ALCC's 2026 General Assembly at the Paynesville Town Hall, where Board Chairman Christoph C. Bull appealed to the government to adopt what he described as a sustainable financing model that would empower local contractors while allowing the state to recover its investment.
The recommendation was delivered to the President's Infrastructure Development Advisor, Joe Mulbah, who attended the assembly as special guest.
In an exclusive interview with The Liberian Investigator, Bull said Liberian contractors possess the technical expertise needed to execute major public works projects but are routinely excluded from high-value tenders because they cannot satisfy equipment ownership requirements.
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"Part of the requirements for being listed as a contractor that can participate in some high-level tender is capacity," Bull said. "Capacity has to do with access to funding, expertise, and equipment. Primarily equipment."
He identified motor graders, front-end loaders, backhoe excavators, dump trucks, roller compactors and other heavy-duty machinery as essential equipment that many Liberian contractors cannot afford because of their high acquisition costs.
According to Bull, the lack of equipment has resulted in local firms losing opportunities while foreign companies continue to dominate government-funded infrastructure projects.
"As a result, government infrastructure spending benefits mostly foreign firms while Liberian companies lose out," he said.
Rather than asking the government to donate equipment, ALCC is proposing a rent-to-own arrangement that would enable contractors to lease machinery from a centralized equipment pool managed by the association.
"We are recommending a buy-back scheme," Bull said. "Bring equipment, set up an equipment pool. Whatever cost government put into this equipment provision shall be given back to government through a refund process."
Under the proposal, contractors awarded projects would rent equipment from the pool and include the rental costs in their project bids. ALCC would collect the rental fees and reimburse the government until the full cost of the machinery is recovered.
"Contractor A may have a mile of road to do. His equipment cost may be $50,000. $50,000 can come back as a rental fee to ALCC that goes back to national government as refund money for the cost of equipment," Bull explained.
He said that once the government's investment has been fully repaid, ownership of the equipment would be transferred to ALCC, ensuring continued access for Liberian contractors while strengthening the domestic construction industry.
Responding to the proposal during the General Assembly, Infrastructure Development Advisor Joe Mulbah said the government is willing to consider the recommendation.
According to Bull, Mulbah acknowledged the importance of building the capacity of Liberian contractors, noting that significant government resources are invested annually in infrastructure development.
The advisor said the government is "open to looking into that direction" because "government money goes into infrastructure and if we are not capacitated, we lose out."
In addition to the equipment proposal, ALCC also appealed to President Boakai to provide budgetary support for the Gateway Vocational Training Center, commonly known as the TVET School.
Bull said the institution was established through funding from the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ) and the German government to prepare skilled Liberians for careers in the construction industry.
He explained that the school is jointly managed by the Liberian Institute of Architects, the Engineering Society of Liberia and ALCC.
However, with donor funding ending and GIZ no longer operating in Liberia, Bull warned that the institution now faces serious financial uncertainty.
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"We are asking the presidential support through a scheme that provides funding for it. There are institutions in Liberia that are subsidized. There are budgetary allotments. Please look our way," he appealed.
Bull emphasized that strengthening technical and vocational education is essential to producing the skilled workforce needed to support Liberia's expanding infrastructure sector.
As the umbrella organization representing Liberian construction contractors, ALCC maintains that providing local firms with access to modern equipment and sustained technical training will enable them to compete more effectively for government contracts, create jobs and ensure that more of the country's infrastructure investments directly benefit Liberian businesses and workers.
The association said it now awaits a formal response from the Office of the President through Infrastructure Development Advisor Joe Mulbah on both the proposed national equipment pool and the request for budgetary support for the Gateway Vocational Training Center.
