The President of Liberia, Dr George Manneh Weah has issued an executive order establishing a National Railway Authority (NRA) which will be responsible for managing the country’s state-owned rail network.
This includes the Yekepa Railway which runs from Yekepa in Nimba county through parts of Bong county to the Port of Buchanan in Grand Bassa county.
Weah said the government is committed to the development and enhancement of Liberian infrastructure which has been underutilised in the past, in order to increase exports of minerals and other goods to improve the Liberian economy.
Liberia signed a treaty with Guinea in October 2019 covering the export of freight via Liberia, and also signed agreements with ArcelorMittal Liberia, Ivanhoe Liberia and Société des Mines de Fer de Guinée (SMFG) to provide access to the rail network. Weah says the government will honour these agreements while also looking to provide access to new users.
As owner of the Liberian rail network, the NRA will be responsible for maintaining and upgrading the infrastructure, as well as managing track access and operator licensing. It will establish rules and procedures and enforce standards for infrastructure use, and will also resolve any disputes.
