Africa-Press – Liberia. By Stephen G. Fellajuah
Monrovia, Liberia, February 18, 2026 — President Joseph Nyuma Boakai has ordered a sweeping administrative transition in Liberia’s transport sector, directing that all functions related to driver’s license issuance and vehicle registration be transferred from the Ministry of Transport to Liberia Traffic Management Incorporated (LTMI) effective March 1, 2026.
The decision, announced through a directive dated February 16, 2026, and signed by Samuel A. Stevquoah, Minister of State for Presidential Affairs, is described as one of the most consequential reforms to Liberia’s transport governance in recent decades.
According to the directive, all Ministry of Transport operations connected to driver’s licenses and vehicle registration will cease as of March 1, 2026. The Inspectorate Division will remain the Ministry’s only operational responsibility.
This move allows LTMI to assume full responsibility for driver’s licensing, vehicle registration, and related services, as stipulated by the existing Concession Agreement.
Authorities state that the transition is being implemented while awaiting deliberations by the Inter-Ministerial Concessions Committee (IMCC) and ongoing negotiations to resolve outstanding issues around the concession. The administration emphasized that the decision is intended to ensure continuity of public services during ongoing investigations and consultations.
Prolonged Dispute
The directive follows a long-running dispute between LTMI and the Ministry of Transport—one of Liberia’s most significant public-policy controversies in recent years.
At the heart of the dispute is a concession agreement transferring core transport regulatory functions from the Ministry to LTMI, a private operator. In September 2018, the Government of Liberia signed a 25-year concession agreement with LTMI, reportedly owned by American investors, to modernize and manage national traffic services. The agreement covers vehicle registration, driver licensing, plate issuance, vehicle inspection, traffic enforcement, and centralized data services.
Although ratified by the Legislature in December 2018 and published in early 2019, implementation stalled for several years. Only in 2025 did the Boakai administration reactivate the agreement, triggering a national rollout and renewed scrutiny.
Security and Data Sovereignty Concerns
With implementation accelerating, lawmakers, especially from the Senate National Security Committee, raised concerns about transferring sensitive transport and data operations to a foreign-controlled company. Legislators cautioned that unresolved questions around ownership and access to vehicle and licensing records could risk Liberia’s national security and data sovereignty.
Despite these concerns, the Executive maintains that the March 1 transition is consistent with the concession and is necessary to stabilize service delivery during institutional review.
From March 1, 2026, LTMI will exclusively handle driver’s license issuance and vehicle registration. The Ministry of Transport will retain only inspection functions through its Inspectorate Division; all other licensing and registration operations will be shut down.
Public attention is now focused on how the handover will unfold, whether legal and security concerns will be resolved, and how the reforms will affect motorists, government workers, and state revenues.
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