By Lincoln G. Peters
Monrovia, Liberia, February 16, 2026: The Authorities of Liberia, by way of the Ministry of State for Presidential Affairs, is dealing with critical challenges in resolving tensions between Liberia Site visitors Administration Integrated (LTMI) and the Ministry of Transport. This follows the current launch of the Ministry’s driver’s license and license plate automobile registration initiative.
A authorities communication dated February 16, 2026—signed by Minister Samuel A. Stevquoah and addressed to Mr. Mohammed Darwich, CEO of LTMI—expressed issues over the concession settlement between the federal government and LTMI. The letter, copied to a number of key ministries and businesses, referred to as for a evaluation of the settlement’s provisions and introduced the Ministry of Transport’s disengagement from sure licensing and registration actions.
“As we await the IMCC’s deliberations and good-faith negotiation, the Authorities informs you that, excluding the Inspectorate Division, all operations on the Ministry of Transport associated to the issuance of driver’s licenses and the registration of automobiles will likely be closed as of March 1, 2026. LTMI will assume full duty for these providers as stipulated within the Concession Settlement.”
The federal government reaffirmed its dedication to the 2018 Concession Settlement with LTMI however careworn the necessity to revisit sure provisions to make it extra equitable. To this finish, the federal government invoked Part 30 of the settlement, requested a evaluation, and established an Inter-Ministerial Concession Committee (IMCC) chaired by the Nationwide Funding Fee.
The IMCC is tasked with addressing all issues impeding the implementation of the settlement and guaranteeing improved effectivity, enhanced service supply, and a sturdy visitors administration system nationwide.
In the meantime, Senate Protection, Safety, Intelligence, and Veterans Affairs Committee Chairman and Lofa County Senator Momo Tarnuekollie Cyrus launched an announcement expressing grave concern concerning the outsourcing of car registration and driver licensing to LTMI, a foreign-controlled operator.
Senator Cyrus argued that this transfer raises important governance, fiscal, and nationwide safety questions. He cautioned that automobile registration and driver licensing are core sovereign capabilities tied to public security, legislation enforcement, and inside safety, and may stay underneath direct state management. Outsourcing these providers, he warned, might weaken the integrity of Liberia’s nationwide safety structure and undermine parliamentary oversight and accountability.
The continued dispute highlights the complexities of balancing modernization and effectivity with the preservation of nationwide safety and sovereignty in Liberia’s public sector.http://
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