By Stephen G. Fellajuah
Monrovia, Liberia, February 18, 2026 — President Joseph Nyuma Boakai has ordered a sweeping administrative transition in Liberia’s transport sector, directing that each one features associated to driver’s license issuance and car registration be transferred from the Ministry of Transport to Liberia Visitors Administration Integrated (LTMI) efficient March 1, 2026.
The choice, introduced by way of a directive dated February 16, 2026, and signed by Samuel A. Stevquoah, Minister of State for Presidential Affairs, is described as one of the consequential reforms to Liberia’s transport governance in current many years.
In response to the directive, all Ministry of Transport operations linked to driver’s licenses and car registration will stop as of March 1, 2026. The Inspectorate Division will stay the Ministry’s solely operational duty.
This transfer permits LTMI to imagine full duty for driver’s licensing, car registration, and associated companies, as stipulated by the prevailing Concession Settlement.
Authorities state that the transition is being applied whereas awaiting deliberations by the Inter-Ministerial Concessions Committee (IMCC) and ongoing negotiations to resolve excellent points across the concession. The administration emphasised that the choice is meant to make sure continuity of public companies throughout ongoing investigations and consultations.
Extended Dispute
The directive follows a long-running dispute between LTMI and the Ministry of Transport—one among Liberia’s most important public-policy controversies in recent times.
On the coronary heart of the dispute is a concession settlement transferring core transport regulatory features from the Ministry to LTMI, a personal operator. In September 2018, the Authorities of Liberia signed a 25-year concession settlement with LTMI, reportedly owned by American buyers, to modernize and handle nationwide site visitors companies. The settlement covers car registration, driver licensing, plate issuance, car inspection, site visitors enforcement, and centralized information companies.
Though ratified by the Legislature in December 2018 and printed in early 2019, implementation stalled for a number of years. Solely in 2025 did the Boakai administration reactivate the settlement, triggering a nationwide rollout and renewed scrutiny.
Safety and Knowledge Sovereignty Issues
With implementation accelerating, lawmakers, particularly from the Senate Nationwide Safety Committee, raised considerations about transferring delicate transport and information operations to a foreign-controlled firm. Legislators cautioned that unresolved questions round possession and entry to car and licensing data might threat Liberia’s nationwide safety and information sovereignty.
Regardless of these considerations, the Government maintains that the March 1 transition is in line with the concession and is important to stabilize service supply throughout institutional evaluation.
From March 1, 2026, LTMI will completely deal with driver’s license issuance and car registration. The Ministry of Transport will retain solely inspection features by way of its Inspectorate Division; all different licensing and registration operations will likely be shut down.
Public consideration is now targeted on how the handover will unfold, whether or not authorized and safety considerations will likely be resolved, and the way the reforms will have an effect on motorists, authorities employees, and state revenues. http://
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