The Civil Society Network of Liberia (CSNL) has described as false and misleading allegations contained in several media publications that the Minister of Commerce & Industry, Magdalene Dagoseh, is “under scrutiny for US$429,000 Industrial Park Renovation”. These publications, CSNL said, are calculated attempts by certain individuals to undermine the workings of Minister Dagoseh’s leadership and malign her reputation.
Independent Investigations conducted by the CSNL on the management of the Monrovia Industrial Park (MIP) Fund established that the Ministry of Commerce & Industry, under Minister Magdalene Dagoseh, is in full compliance with processes and regulations governing the MIP Rehabilitation Project. “Upon taking over the Ministry, Minister Dagoseh Leadership reviewed the past audits and the preliminary findings from the on-going audit on the usage of the MIP Fund. The review and analysis of the audits reveals that since the management of the Monrovia Industrial Park (MIP) was transferred from the National Investment Commission (NIC) to the Ministry of Commerce and Industry (MOCI) in 2017 by former President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, the MIP Fund has not been transparently administered in addressing the development, security, sanitation, and the general upkeep of the MIP; and that the Inter-Agency Advisory Board, clothed with the authority to approve all funding decisions prior to implementation, has been ignored. The businesses and companies operating within the 200 acres of land secured by the Government of Liberia (GOL) within the MIP has consistently complained of lack of security, sanitation, development and the vulnerability of the park to encroachment,” a CSNL release said.
According to the release, in ensuring that the MIP Fund is used to strengthen coordination between Liberia’s industrial and trade policies and enhance effective oversight of the park’s development and sustainability, and address consistent complaints from park tenants and users regarding the deplorable condition of the facility and exposure to encroachment, the Ministry of Commerce and Industry convened the first meeting of the Inter-Agency Board on October 14, 2025, but it did not achieve quorum and was therefore rescheduled to October 22, 2025, when quorum was established. As the body clothed with the oversight and approval functions of the Monrovia Industrial Park, the Board approved an adjusted operational budget of US$429,009.00 for the last quarter of Fiscal Year 2025, to address urgent infrastructural works and safety needs within the Park. The resolution was signed by nine (9) of the ten (10) Board Members and their accredited representatives.
“The CSNL notes that a copy of the board’s resolution in its possession reveals that, contrary to fake information that some member institutions of the Inter-Agency Board question their signatures on the resolution, all member institutions of the board duly signed through their heads or designated representatives, except the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning, which was not represented at the meeting. There is no record that a member institution has so far disputed the authority of its representative or the validity of their signatures on the approved Resolution. Commerce Minister Magdalene Dagoseh should be commended for ensuring the compliant implementation of the MIP Administration Regulation, and it is unfair to accuse Minister Dagoseh of any sinister motive in the planned use of US$429,000 of the MIP Fund to rehabilitate the park.
“CSNL wishes to make it clear that, as provided for in Section 5.2 of the MIP Administrative Regulation, the Inter-Agency Advisory Board, comprising of representatives from the ministries of Commerce and Industry, Finance and Development Planning, Public Works, Justice, Labor, the Environmental Protection Agency, the National Investment Commission, the Liberia Business Association, the Liberia Revenue Authority, and the Liberia Chamber of Commerce, needs a minimum of seven (7) members to constitute a quorum for any official decision, including approvals of all financial and operational decisions relating to the MIP. While the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning did not have a representative at the meeting, the Administrative Regulation governing the Board clearly stipulates that a quorum of seven members, irrespective of member institutions, is sufficient to take decisions that shall be binding and legal. Therefore, the resolution passed on October 22, 2025 by the signatures of nine (9) member institutions was legally valid and procedurally sound,” the release stated.
“Furthermore, the assertion that the Commerce Ministry has awarded the MIP Rehabilitation Project to a company outside the Public Procurement and Concessions Commission (PPCC) process is baseless and unfounded. The CSNL’s investigation also proved that, unlike the fake media report in the public, no contract has been awarded to any construction company, and no construction work has commenced at the Monrovia Industrial Park. The ministry has just begun the publication of bid advertisements (Expression of Interest (EOI) documents) in the local dailies in line with PPCC-approved processes. From all documents in the possession of the CSNL, the Commerce Ministry is in full compliance with all legal and administrative procedures and procurement processes. The ministry’s operations on all funding and project implementation decisions related to the MIP are based on the approvals of the Inter-Agency Advisory Board.
“Minister Dagoseh’s extensive experience in both public and private sectors, serving in roles such as Assistant Minister of Planning and Administration, Executive Director of the Liberia Community Development Foundation, Board Member of the Liberia Civil Aviation Authority and in other leadership roles to private enterprises, is replete with transparency, integrity and honesty. Throughout her career, she has demonstrated proficiency in policy management, institutional governance, and organizational leadership. “Hence, the Civil Society Network of Liberia cautions media institutions and others to independently verify information before drawing conclusions or make publications. It is important that due diligence and fact checking are done to avoid undermining citizens trust and confidence in public institutions. We urge Minister Magdalene Dagoseh and her Administration at the Ministry of Commerce & Industry not to be distracted, but to keep working in the interest of the Liberian People, and look forward to the commencement of the MIP Rehabilitation Project.”
