By Jerromie S. Walters
MONROVIA – The House of Representatives has ratified the Production Sharing Contracts (PSCs) with TotalEnergies EP Liberia LLC and Oranto Petroleum Liberia Limited. The rectification comes despite mounting criticism from influential lawmakers over the deals’ terms.
On Thursday, December 11, 2025, the House voted 27-4, with one abstention, to approve the contracts.
The decision followed a review and report by the House’s Joint Committee on Hydrocarbon, Investment & Concession, Mines, Energy, Natural Resources and Environment, and Contracts & Monopolies.
The committees recommended a mandatory review of the agreements every five years, among others.
The path to ratification was marked by substantial opposition. Cllr. J. Fonati Koffa, former Speaker and current Representative of Grand Kru County District #2, ignited controversy in late October with a detailed, clause-by-clause legal critique of the Oranto agreement. In a series of social media posts, the seasoned lawyer alleged the contract contained provisions unfavorable and potentially illegal for Liberia.
A central pillar of Koffa’s critique focused on equity. He cited Section 36(a) of Liberia’s 2019 Petroleum Law, which mandates a 5% stake for Liberians and a 10% stake for the National Oil Company of Liberia (NOCAL) in each oil block. Koffa argued the Oranto contract systematically undermined these benefits.
His analysis set the stage for Senator Amara Konneh of Gbarpolu County to amplify the concerns. Last Saturday, Konneh issued a powerful statement demanding a “professional, comprehensive, rigorous due diligence” on the Oranto deal, citing “substantial” concerns about the company’s history and financial capacity.
Konneh further called for an investigation by the Senate’s Joint Committee—chaired by Senator Edwin Melvin Snowe—to be funded by the Liberian government, not Oranto, “to ensure independence and integrity.”
The convergence of criticism from these two powerful figures—Koffa from the House and Konneh from the Senate—presented a formidable political challenge to the Boakai administration. The government has not issued a formal response to the specific allegations.
The agreements were submitted to the House for ratification by President Boakai on October 21, 2025. The same day, the House Plenary instructed its relevant committees to scrutinize the eight new PSCs signed with the two international oil companies.
The ratified contracts grant exploration rights for offshore blocks. The Joint Committee’s review, which led to Thursday’s vote, involved members from the Hydrocarbon, Contracts and Monopolies, Investment and Concessions, and Judiciary committees.
The agreements now move to the Liberian Senate for concurrence, where scrutiny from Senator Konneh and others is expected to continue.
