Monrovia, Liberia – The Deputy Director General for Concessions at the National Bureau of Concessions (NBC), B. Rachel Yabah Duobah, has reaffirmed the Bureau’s commitment to strengthening transparency, accountability, and effective oversight in Liberia’s concession sector.
Speaking on behalf of NBC Director General Hon. Hanson S. Kiazolu during the launch of the Concession Compliance Monitoring Scorecards by Integrity Watch Liberia, Duobah described the initiative as a crucial step toward promoting citizen participation and enhancing governance in Liberia’s concession sector.
She commended Integrity Watch Liberia and its funding partner, the Embassy of Ireland, for supporting efforts to enhance public understanding and independent oversight of concession performance.
“The concession sector remains a critical pillar of Liberia’s economic development strategy,” Duobah said. “Through concession agreements, the Government of Liberia seeks to attract investment, create employment opportunities, develop infrastructure, generate revenue, and improve the welfare of our citizens.”
She noted that achieving these objectives depends on effective implementation and continuous monitoring of concession agreements.
Duobah explained that the National Bureau of Concessions is mandated to ensure concession agreements are managed in a manner that protects the interests of the Liberian people while maintaining a predictable and attractive investment climate.
She said the Bureau is responsible for monitoring concessionaires’ compliance with contractual obligations, conducting performance assessments, advising the government on concession-related matters, and coordinating the Inter-Ministerial Compliance Monitoring Team.
According to her, NBC’s oversight includes monitoring investment commitments, employment targets, environmental standards, infrastructure development, and social obligations contained in concession agreements.
She also highlighted the Bureau’s role in producing compliance assessment reports that provide policymakers with objective information to support evidence-based decisions and improve concession implementation.
Duobah emphasized that transparency remains crucial to fostering public confidence in the concession sector and stated that the newly launched scorecards will complement existing government monitoring efforts by making concession performance more transparent and accessible to citizens.
“Citizen-centered monitoring initiatives have the potential to strengthen accountability by amplifying community voices and generating valuable feedback from those directly affected by concession operations,” she said.
She encouraged stakeholders to regard the scorecards as tools for continuous improvement, capable of identifying gaps, encouraging dialogue, promoting corrective actions, and maximizing the developmental impact of concession investments across Liberia.
While acknowledging budgetary challenges facing the Bureau, Duobah said NBC is steadily strengthening its capacity to fulfill its statutory responsibilities, including monitoring concession compliance, providing technical expertise to government institutions, maintaining a national concession database, and promoting transparency and accountability.
She disclosed that the Bureau has completed four concession compliance reports, which will be released upon the return of Director General Hon. Hanson S. Kiazolu.
Concluding her remarks, Duobah emphasized that effective concession governance is a shared responsibility requiring collaboration among government, investors, civil society organizations, local communities, and development partners.
“Together, we can ensure that Liberia’s natural resources and investment opportunities contribute meaningfully to sustainable national development,” she said.
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