By Festus Poquie
Conflicting statements from the Presidency and the Ministry of Information have intensified public scrutiny of a multimillion-dollar construction in Foya, Lofa County, described by officials as the “Mano River Union Center for Regional Peace and Development” and criticized by civil society as a potential presidential “mansion.”
The Ministry of Information issued a detailed statement describing the project as a Government of Liberia initiative: a strategic, 7-acre complex including a 500-seat conference hall and nine secure accommodation units, intended to host subregional and global dialogues on mediation, conflict resolution and economic integration.
The ministry said the development will be financed through a combination of national, regional and international contributions, private donors and businesses, and estimated the total investment at approximately $6.1 million.
A day after the ministry’s release, however, President Joseph Boakai told state broadcaster ELBC he knew nothing of the project and insisted it “is not a Joseph Boakai project.” “It started without my knowledge. You can go there—there is nothing in my name,” he said, adding that the development was being advanced as an initiative of the Mano River Union (MRU) rather than of the Liberian government.
Boakai also suggested those behind the project intentionally withheld information from him because “they knew very well that I would have resisted it.”
The discrepancy between the ministry’s initial description and the President’s account has created a swirl of competing narratives about who initiated, funded and owns the site.
Civil society organization NAYMOTE first brought the project to public attention after unauthorized drone footage circulated online. Local critics and some media reports immediately labeled the development a “mansion” or “palace,” citing visible villas and the scale of construction.
The ministry has pushed back on that characterization, stressing the facility’s public purpose and its planned role in supporting Liberia’s regional diplomacy, including a rationale tied to Liberia’s current standing on the United Nations Security Council.
Key contradictions and unresolved questions
- Origins and ownership: The Ministry of Information’s statement frames the project as a Government of Liberia initiative and public property. The President and the Deputy Minister, by contrast, describe it as an MRU project and stress that it did not originate with him. The divergence raises basic questions about who authorized the works.
- Knowledge and authorization: The ministry defended confidentiality on security grounds while describing government involvement. President Boakai says the project began without his knowledge and implies deliberate concealment from the Presidency.
- Funding sources: The ministry cites an amalgam of national, regional, global and private financing amounting to about $6.1 million. The President’s claim that funding will come under MRU mechanisms leaves unclear Liberia’s direct financial exposure or the precise funding commitments of other partners of a project already nearing competition.
- Secrecy vs visibility: Officials justify limited public disclosure for security reasons given the facility’s intended high-level use. Yet the drone footage that sparked the controversy undercuts the claim that secrecy was effective and raises questions about the prudence of withholding information about a major development on public land.
- The mixed messaging has prompted calls from civil society and opposition figures for immediate clarification, financial transparency and a full accounting of approvals and funding commitments. NAYMOTE’s exposure of the site and subsequent media coverage have amplified public demand for oversight.
