𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐏𝐑𝐄𝐒𝐈𝐃𝐄𝐍𝐓-𝐄𝐋𝐄𝐂𝐓 𝐎𝐅 the Republic of Liberia, H.E. Ambassador Joseph Nyumah Boakai, has initiated talks with the management of the Liberia Traffic Management (LTM) for possible takeover of the printing of driver license and license plate, as well as the vehicle registration and road safety matters, what is regarded as being in contrast to existing Liberian laws and disregard to the Act that created the Ministry of Transport and the Public Procurement and Concession Commission (PPCC).
𝐎𝐍 𝐉𝐀𝐍𝐔𝐀𝐑𝐘 𝟏𝟓, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟒, the office of the President-elect released a statement informing the public that Ambassador Boakai had been touring the facility of the Liberia Traffic Management (LTM) in Paynesville and found out that, with the set-up, the nation will have a one-stop shop for the processing of all instruments from drivers’ licenses, licenses plates, road worthiness inspection to insurance policies. The release heaped praises on the LTM, noting that its Traffic Enforcement Center has all the equipment ready for use and hoped that the legal hurdles surrounding the investment will be overcome so that the public will benefit from the just revenues of this investment.
𝐔𝐍𝐅𝐎𝐑𝐓𝐔𝐍𝐀𝐓𝐄𝐋𝐘, 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐈𝐍-𝐂𝐎𝐌𝐈𝐍𝐆 Boakai administration fell short of doing due diligence on the company, its owner and its alleged mission to Liberia. Investigation conducted by the Hot Pepper has revealed that the Liberia Traffic Management (LTM) is owned by a Lebanese, Dr. Imad Hajj, who is said to be an Associate Professor of Clinical Surgery at the Faculty of Medicine, Saint George University of Beirut, Lebanon.
𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐆𝐑𝐎𝐔𝐏 𝐅𝐈𝐑𝐒𝐓 attempted to begin operation in Liberia during the latter days of the Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf administration. They came with a lucrative gift for the LNP—providing the police with uniforms and boots, with a vow to do more if/when they were given the contract. However, after deep investigation was conducted on the company, it was alleged that the group and its head had link to the Lebanese terrorist group, Hezbollah; as such, the Sirleaf government rejected the offer and disregarded their quest to secure a contract with the Liberian government.
𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐆𝐑𝐎𝐔𝐏 𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐘𝐄𝐃 in the country until President George M. Weah and his Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC) took over in 2018. A year after, the group began to lobby for the Weah administration to consider their proposal. This time, they brought in customized motorbikes, cars and uniforms for the police. Unfortunately for the LTM, again, the Weah administration rejected their proposal on the basis that they could not usurp key functions of the Ministry of Transport and the Liberia National Police (LNP) to a foreign-owned company.
