Senate Ends LPRA-NOCAL Petroleum Licensing Dispute -Resolution Restores Regulatory Clarity and Confidence

MONROVIA – The National Oil Company of Liberia (NOCAL) has agreed that it and its partners — GeoPartners Limited and Searcher Geodata UK Ltd — will formally apply to the Liberia Petroleum Regulatory Authority (LPRA) for reconnaissance licenses, ending a dispute over the authority to authorize offshore survey activities.

The agreement, reached under the watch of the Liberian Senate, settles tension between the two institutions and draws a clear line: the LPRA issues reconnaissance licenses; NOCAL’s role in administering those licenses begins after the LPRA has granted them.

The resolution is a significant moment for Liberia’s petroleum governance — one that drew in the Legislature, the Ministry of Justice, and senior officials from both institutions to resolve what had become a very public, and embarrassing institutional standoff.

The dispute began after NOCAL signed offshore survey agreements with GeoPartners Limited and Searcher Geodata UK Ltd to conduct geological and geophysical surveys in the Liberia and Harper Basins. A Civil society group, Liberia Early Warning Watch (LEW-Watch), raised the alarm, arguing that those activities qualify as petroleum reconnaissance under the 2014 Petroleum (Exploration and Production) Reform Law — and therefore require a license from the LPRA before any work begins.

The controversy was first reported by FrontPage Africa, whose investigative report prompted a formal response from the Senate. Senators Amara Konneh of Gbarpolu County and Jonathan Boye Charles Sogbie of River Gee County jointly submitted a communication to the Senate citing Section 11.1 of the Petroleum Law, which requires any company intending to conduct reconnaissance activities to first obtain a license from the LPRA. The two lawmakers warned that failure to resolve the dispute could undermine investor confidence and weaken regulatory oversight of Liberia’s petroleum sector.

Senate Brings Parties to the Table

The Senate moved quickly. A resolution meeting was convened, bringing together the Chairpersons of the Boards of both NOCAL and the LPRA, the Director General of the LPRA, the President of NOCAL, the Minister of Justice, and the Minister of Lands, Mines and Energy. On the Senate side, the session was chaired by Senate Pro Tempore Nyonble Lawrance and attended by Senate leaders including Senators Edwin Snowe, Dillon, Amara Konneh, Augustine Chie, Milton Findley, Albert Chie, and others.

The outcome was clear and unambiguous: the LPRA holds the authority to issue reconnaissance licenses and NOCAL and its partners will now submit formal applications to the LPRA for review and approval.

The Senate made its purpose plain: every institution operating in Liberia’s petroleum space must work strictly within its legally defined mandate, and the country’s petroleum resources must be governed with the transparency that serious investors expect.

Justice Ministry Calls for a Clearer Law

The meeting also produced an important recommendation for the future. The Minister of Justice proposed that the petroleum law be amended to make its jurisdictional provisions simpler and clearer — language plain enough that it cannot be misread, whether deliberately or by mistake.

The Senate accepted the proposal without hesitation. Lawmakers were direct: the goal is not just to settle today’s dispute, but to close the door on similar disputes arising again. A law that is simple and clear leaves no room for institutions to talk past each other about what they are and are not permitted to do.

Work Together, But Within Your Lane

A consistent message from the Senate throughout the process was that collaboration between institutions is necessary — but it must happen within each institution’s legal boundaries. NOCAL and the LPRA need each other to advance Liberia’s petroleum agenda, but need does not translate into permission to operate outside one’s mandate.

Senators stressed that the clear separation of roles between a regulator and a national oil company is not bureaucratic red tape — it is a safeguard. It prevents conflicts of interest, promotes accountability, and is the standard in well-governed petroleum sectors around the world.

The resolution carries a message that goes beyond the two institutions at the center of the dispute. By reaffirming that the LPRA holds licensing authority— the Senate has sent a signal to the investment community that Liberia’s petroleum sector operates under an enforceable and predictable framework.