-Backs Mining Reforms
The House of Representatives has mandated its Joint Committee on Investment and Concessions, Good Governance, and Ways, Means, Finance and Development Planning to review a US$52 million concession agreement for the establishment of a national digital civil registry and vital statistics system.
The decision, made on Thursday, October 15, 2026, follows a communication submitted by President Joseph Nyuma Boakai, Sr., seeking legislative ratification of the agreement between the Government of Liberia and OeSD International GMBH.
The proposed contract covers the design, supply, installation, commissioning, and maintenance of the National Identification Central Digital Civil Registry and Vital Statistics System (NIDCRVS).
The Joint Committee has been given two weeks to examine the agreement and report its findings and recommendations to Plenary.
During the review, the committee is expected to assess the technical and financial provisions of the build-operate-transfer arrangement, which seeks to establish a centralized database for storing demographic and biometric records of up to 10 million individuals nationwide.
The committee is expected to submit its report to the House for consideration and a decision on whether to ratify the agreement in the national interest.
Meanwhile, the House of Representatives has endorsed and forwarded to its Committee on Ways, Means, and Finance a report from its Mines and Energy Committee following a comprehensive review of the mining sector, with a strong focus on curbing illegal and illicit mining.
The endorsed report recommends allocating $1.5 million in the 2027 draft national budget to drive sweeping reforms across Liberia’s mining sector.
Plenary took the decision on Thursday, October 15, 2026, during its second-day sitting of the third quarter of the third session.
According to a press release issued by the House Press Bureau, plenary’s decision followed a comprehensive standing committee report highlighting illegal mining operations and severe environmental damage across the nation.
The report submitted warns that piecemeal legal amendments cannot adequately address the deep structural problems currently facing the entire mining industry.
Among the major concerns raised in the report are the widespread use of illegal excavators in forested areas, rampant mineral smuggling, and unlawful foreign participation in small-scale mining.
The committee added that, critical logistical constraints and manpower shortages continue to severely hinder the Ministry of Mines and Energy from effectively enforcing existing mining laws and regulations.
It says under the proposed reform plan, the Law Reform Commission will manage the requested funding to conduct extensive technical and legal reviews of the sector.
The allocation will also support nationwide stakeholder consultations involving local mining communities, traditional leaders, civil society groups, and environmental organizations.
This comprehensive reform aligns with Liberia’s international commitments under the Inter-Ministerial Coordinating Mechanism for the second Millennium Challenge Compact project arrangement.
The Joint Committee on Ways, Means, Finance, and Development Planning will now review the financial proposal ahead of the upcoming fiscal budget deliberations.
