The Civil Society Network of Liberia (CSNL) has called for the immediate resignation of Sekou Dukuly as Managing Director of the National Port Authority (NPA) for poor administrative management and massive financial disaster at the institution. The CSNL noted that the NPA, under Dukuly’s management, has failed to maintain its status as the gateway to Liberia’s economy.
In a release issued recently, the CSNL said, “Investigation conducted by the Civil Society Network of Liberia shows how Mr. Sekou Dukuly has made several poor administrative decisions and instituted policies that have brought many criticisms to his leadership. In just one year of his administration of the NPA, the institution is faced with inefficiency, lack of accountability, lack of revenue generation and wanton increased in expenditure, largely due to poor managerial skills, mismanagement, incompetence and favoritism. Under Mr. Dukuly’s administration, the NPA has witnessed an unprecedented surge in executive directors and senior directors from 8 to 19 and 22 to 40 respectively; thereby raising the wage bill from 800k to 1.4 million monthly. This increase in the wage bill has denied employees of their benefits, such as gas, rice and scratch cards. What is even devastating is that Mr. Dukuly is at the verge of laying off 400 employees just to accommodate the fat salaries of his cronies and surrogates. The allegation that he has employed more persons of his ethnic group (Mandingoes) is not only troubling, but worrisome.
“Furthermore, the Civil Society Network of Liberia is critically concerned about the astronomical compensation of Mr. Sekou Dukuly as Managing Director of the NPA. It is totally insensitive to suffering Liberian for Mr. Dukuly to receive a compensation package of US$7,861.00 in salary; US$2,500.00 in housing allowance and US$750.00 for security allowance monthly in addition to annual board fees of US$21,600.00. The irregular promotions where political loyalists receive fast-tracked promotions at the detriment of experienced professionals at the NPA is not only a bad managerial practice and has the propensity to breed division among employees. The fast-tracked promotions of political allies by Mr. Dukuly are in violation of NPA Handbook Section 17, which provides that it shall be based on merit upon recommendation from the Human Resource Department after employee appraisals.
“The CSNL deems it appalling and economically terrible that the National Port Authority has failed to remit the expected subsidy or contributions to the national budget. The NPA contributed a mere amount of US$2 million out of the US$7 million approved in the 2024 national budget as the entity’s subsidy to the national instrument. It is further disappointing that, for the first time in the history of the NPA, the entity will not be contributing to the 2025 national budget. We tend to wonder as to how the UP government will finance its ARREST Agenda when revenue-generating entities like NPA are not contributing to the national budget. The government needs state-owned enterprises and public corporations like the NPA, LPRC, LWSC, LEC and others to be transparently managed to fund its projects and programs. It is sad that the NPA has become a financial disaster and revenue-generating failure under the inexperienced and inept Sekou Dukuly as Managing Director.”
According to the release, “The Civil Society Network of Liberia is of the strongest belief that the continuous stay of Sekou Dukuly as Managing Director of the National Port Authority is not in the interest of the Liberian people. The reckless and disorganized leadership style of Mr. Dukuly has rendered the NPA from a revenue-generating institution to a financial liability. Increase in the wage bill has led to revenue collapse; 420 contractors face layoffs while political appointees get inflated salaries, and employees have not gotten their benefits since December 2024. The National Port Authority is into administrative and financial crisis that needs urgent rescue.
“In conclusion, the Civil Society Network of Liberia reiterates calls for the resignation of Mr. Sekou Dukuly as Managing Director of the National Port Authority. If Mr. Dukuly cannot responsibly take responsibility for his mismanagement of the NPA and leading it to near financial collapse, we then call on President Joseph Boakai to remove him as Managing director to restore financial sanity and sound administrative management to the institution.”
