The Liberian Senate has rejected President Joseph Nyuma Boakai’s request to cancel a multimillion-dollar telecommunications monitoring concession with Telecom International Alliance (TIA), instead recommending that the agreement be renegotiated.
The decision followed a probe by a Joint Legislative Committee, which warned that outright cancellation could breach the contract’s dispute-resolution clauses and constitutional guarantees of due process.
In a November 13, 2025 letter to Senate Pro Tempore Nyonblee Karnga-Lawrence, President Boakai said the Executive had suspended the concession between TIA and the Liberia Telecommunications Authority (LTA), citing alleged violations of the Public Procurement and Concessions Commission (PPCC) Act. He urged lawmakers to void the deal, arguing that procurement rules were ignored and that TIA’s corporate standing at the time of bidding was questionable.
Boakai further claimed that amendments to the contract unfairly favored TIA, raising its revenue share from 35 percent to 49 percent and extending the agreement by 20 years without clear financial benefit to the state. He described the changes as fraudulent and grounds for cancellation.
The Senate tasked a Joint Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights, Claims and Petitions, and Post and Telecommunications to investigate. Public hearings drew testimony from the General Auditing Commission (GAC), Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission (LACC), Ministry of Justice, Liberia Revenue Authority (LRA), the LTA, and TIA.
Several state institutions, including the GAC, PPCC, LACC, and Justice Ministry, backed the President’s concerns, estimating that Liberia may have lost more than US$50 million in potential revenue. The LRA, however, cautioned that abrupt termination could disrupt ongoing revenue collection.
TIA Managing Director William F. Saamoi Jr. denied wrongdoing, urging dialogue rather than dissolution. “This is not a hostile engagement,” Saamoi told senators. “We respect government oversight and believe the issues can be addressed within the existing contract.” He cited a 2024 Justice Ministry opinion validating the concession and said the monitoring system has boosted telecom revenue collection and improved fraud detection.
The Joint Committee concluded that the dispute is contractual and should be resolved through legal channels outlined in the agreement, not legislative nullification. The report cited Clause 21.2 on dispute settlement, Article 20(a) of the Constitution on due process, and Article 25, which prohibits impairment of contracts.
Judiciary Committee Chair Augustine S. Chea emphasized that once ratified, the Legislature’s authority over the agreement ended. “Ratification is not an ongoing power,” Chea said, describing the Senate’s role as functus officio.
Senators were divided. Samuel G. Kogar acknowledged the Executive’s right to challenge the deal but warned that cancellation could damage Liberia’s credibility with investors. Edwin Melvin Snowe supported renegotiation as a more practical solution.
Ultimately, a majority of senators adopted the committee’s recommendation for renegotiation. The Senate will now notify the House of Representatives, which previously voted to re-ratify the agreement. If the two chambers disagree, the matter will go to a conference committee before being forwarded to the Executive for further action.
