By: Amara Konneh, Senator,Gbarpolu County

I watched the 3-D video of 285 units of earth-moving equipment, which circulated around social media this week. It was an impressive display with sound bites of the Ministers of State, State Without Portfolio, and Public Works discussing the potential impact of this procurement on Liberia’s development. But what I noticed most was what they didn’t say. So, I took my usual approach of inquiring with the relevant authorities in the Executive Branch, behind the scenes – a common courtesy I wish others had taken before jumping to conclusions about my decisions as Finance Minister when I occupied that position. Those I reached out to included the Ministers of State and Information Grisby and Piah, respectively, and the Minister of Public Works. None have responded to my inquiry, since yesterday, except Minister Giddings who referred me to Minister Grisby. I have no details except for the unofficial narrative that my colleague Senator Dillon has provided.

I am, therefore, compelled to ask my questions publicly.

Let’s start with how much this cost and how the Boakai Administration raised the money. The minimum price for each of these units is about $100K. That sets the total above $30 million. The Administration must state what that figure is, and who put up the capital. I still remember President George Weah’s officials justifying the Ebomaf and Eton scandal, arguing that “even if the President got loans from the devil, we support it to fix our roads.” But that position contradicted the international Anti-Money Laundering/Countering the Financing of Terrorism framework to which Liberia is subject. The Boakai administration is no less bound by international law to do due diligence on all counterparties to its procurement and investments.

Assuming, in good faith, the partners involved are legitimate, are they private, or state-owned, were the resources they provided bilateral or multilateral? Even if this was a grant, the nature of the grantor determines the economic and political conditionalities associated with the deal. How can we be sure the Rescue Mission has not committed us beyond the bounds of our values?

Even if our values remain intact, how does this deal align with our debt and risk profile? If this was a loan, was it concessional or non-concessional and what are the terms of the financing agreement? Is the repayment amount budgeted? Over how many years and at what rate? We often mistakenly assume that interest rates are our only concern when entering a loan agreement. But exchange rate risk is just as important, depending on how much of our revenue we raise in Liberian Dollars. If our exchange rate increases, it makes debt servicing that much more expensive. What plans do GOL and the CBL have to manage that risk?

What is our absorptive capacity for this high influx of equipment? I worked on the budget and know we earmarked a percentage of the Road Fund for road equipment purchase. But that amount was nowhere near the value of units in the video. Where is the assessment that justifies the deployment of such a massive fleet, all at once, and the assignment of 19 units to each county? This reminds me of the noble effort we made to build up the Jackson F. Doe Medical Center in Tappitah, Nimba County. It had all the equipment, the bells and whistles, but not enough trained staff to run the facility. The Emirates Hospital in my county of Gbarpolu, which I visited two weeks ago, has a similar problem. Meanwhile, at JFK, we have stellar doctors with limited tools to operate to the full extent of their expertise. Will we face the same problems with road development under this administration? Or does the GOL’s road development strategy include current and target headcounts of qualified staff, across the counties, for both road and asset maintenance and repair? Each county’s size and needs are different. However, these plans must be subject to a standardized governance structure for road works and asset management, with proper and consistent reporting. If done correctly, this will be an important step towards decentralization.

Speaking of reporting, the GOL must report on the procurement process associated with this deal. It is well known in the literature on corruption, that corruption is procurement and procurement is corruption. As Finance Minister, I enlisted the help of Justice Minister Christiana Tah and her successor Hon. Benedict Sannoh to help apply legal scrutiny to prevent us from falling into that corruption trap. And I often exasperated my Cabinet colleagues with the cumbersome nature of my due diligence. I expect no less from the current Finance Minister and his team. So, did this acquisition meet the provisions of our Public Procurement and Concession Act? I will closely inspect the GOL’s response to this against the letter and spirit of the law.

I am glad to see the Boakai Administration making bold moves toward road construction and rural development. My county of Gbarpolu can only benefit from roads that connect our farms to markets, our children to schools, and our sick to hospitals. So, the concept of bringing in yellow machines is more than welcome. My concern is that we do not do the right thing the wrong way. Laws, standards, and procedures exist for just that reason, and to ensure that we do not waste the resources we already barely have.

Lastly, in a country ruled by the people, it is not enough just to do the right thing. The people must know what their President and other public servants are doing for them and how. As one of their representatives in the Senate, I look forward to having my questions answered. Most of all, I hope that the answers will show the high competence I know rests in the Liberian bureaucracy. This government, this Unity Party, has done development planning before and done it well. Let’s show the people that we’ve still got it!

Please share!

#opengovernment
#GoodGovernance