MONROVIA – Serious concerns have emerged within the Executive Branch over the re-enacted Liberia Sea and Inland Ports Regulatory Act of 2025, with the Ministry of Justice advising President Joseph Nyuma Boakai, Sr. to veto the bill, warning that it contains fundamental defects that could destabilize Liberia’s port and maritime governance system.
In a detailed legal opinion dated January 12, 2026, the Ministry of Justice cautioned that the proposed law suffers from “substantial structural deficiencies” and fails to cure the defects that led to the President’s earlier veto. The opinion was formally submitted to the President through Acting Minister of Justice and Deputy Minister for Administration and Public Safety, Cllr. Cora Hare-Konowa, on behalf of Justice Minister and Attorney General Cllr. Oswald Tweh.
The legislation, commonly referred to as the Port Autonomy Bill, was sponsored by Senate President Pro-Tempore Nyonblee Karnga-Lawrence and Montserrado County Senator Abraham Darius Dillon. It was re-submitted for presidential approval after a similar version was vetoed in July 2025.
According to the Justice Ministry, the re-enacted bill does not resolve the core governance problems previously identified and instead deepens institutional conflicts that could disrupt Liberia’s port system and weaken maritime regulation.
A central issue raised in the legal opinion is the Ministry’s finding that the Legislature misrepresented the extent of amendments made to the bill after the President’s veto. The Senate had formally claimed that overlapping maritime functions were deleted or substantially revised.
However, following a detailed verification of the statutory text, the Justice Ministry concluded that those claims were inaccurate. The opinion states that several contested provisions remain intact, either unchanged or only cosmetically reworded.
The Ministry disclosed that it conducted a side-by-side comparison of the Senate’s representations against the actual text of the 2025 Act. That review showed that provisions relating to port safety, vessel inspection, maritime enforcement, international conventions, and port operations were retained.
One of the most serious defects identified is the continued overlap between the proposed Liberia Sea and Inland Ports Regulatory Agency (LSRA) and the Liberia Maritime Authority (LiMA), which was established under the Liberia Maritime Authority Act of 2010.
Under existing law, LiMA is mandated to regulate merchant shipping, maritime safety standards, international maritime conventions, maritime surveillance, and enforcement of maritime laws. The re-enacted bill assigns similar responsibilities to the LSRA, creating overlapping authority and regulatory uncertainty.
Contrary to Senate assurances, the bill still empowers the LSRA to ensure compliance with port safety standards, inspect vessels and port facilities, regulate dangerous goods under the International Maritime Dangerous Goods Code, and enforce port-related regulations.
The Ministry noted that provisions the Senate claimed were “revised” merely restate coordination language with LiMA while preserving the LSRA’s independent authority, meaning both agencies would exercise power over the same regulatory space.
Sections dealing with International Maritime Organization conventions, which the Senate claimed were deleted, remain in the bill under reformulated language that still grants the LSRA implementation responsibilities.
The legal opinion further identified overlapping authority over vessel inspection and certification. The bill grants the LSRA powers to inspect vessels, issue and revoke certificates, and regulate maintenance regimes—functions that intersect directly with LiMA’s statutory mandate over merchant shipping standards.
The Justice Ministry warned that this structure risks leaving LiMA responsible for setting maritime standards while depriving it of inspection and enforcement mechanisms, creating a governance imbalance.
Another major concern highlighted is the conflict of interest created by the bill. The LSRA is authorized to acquire, own, lease, develop, and operate port facilities while simultaneously setting safety standards and inspecting port operations.
According to the Ministry, combining regulatory and operational functions within a single agency undermines regulatory independence and weakens enforcement credibility.
The bill was also criticized for promoting centralization rather than decentralization. Despite previous policy discussions emphasizing decentralized port governance, the LSRA bill transfers all ports, docks, harbors, assets, and liabilities of Monrovia, Buchanan, Greenville, and Harper to a single centralized authority.
The Ministry stated that this consolidation contradicts the stated decentralization objective and leaves unresolved how individual ports would exercise independent authority.
From a constitutional standpoint, the Justice Ministry acknowledged the Legislature’s power to enact laws and establish agencies. However, it emphasized that Article 35 of the Constitution vests the President with veto authority as a critical safeguard against laws that are unworkable or internally contradictory.
The opinion stressed that legislation depends on the Executive Branch for implementation, and laws that create overlapping mandates and unclear authority lines pose serious operational risks.
In its conclusion, the Ministry stated that the defects identified in the re-enacted Port Autonomy Bill are substantially the same as those that prompted the President’s earlier veto.
Based on its comprehensive analysis, the Ministry of Justice formally recommended that President Boakai exercise his constitutional veto power and return the 2025 Liberia Sea and Inland Ports Regulatory Act to the Legislature for comprehensive amendment.
The recommendation places renewed pressure on the President to act decisively, with the future of Liberia’s port governance framework now hinging on whether the bill is rejected or sent back for fundamental restructuring.
