Why GoL Reinstated Western Cluster’s Road User Permit? -MOJ Provides Justifications, Including Company’s Complaint Actions

There has been much ado about Western Cluster Limited’s operations in Bomi County, specifically its use of public road instead of railroad to transparent ores to the Port of Monrovia from the countryside. Ordinary citizens and environmental experts have alarmed about safety, and there have been actions, inactions, revocations of actions now and then by the Boakai administration. Why a number of concerned citizens were thinking that the government’s latest action in the last few months stopping the company’s operation until the needful was done, came pronouncements yesterday, yet again, that it had summersaulted. Why this time around? The Minister of Justice Cllr. N. Oswald Tweh explained to the nation during MICAT’s press briefing. The Analyst reports.

The Ministry of Justice has announced the reinstatement of Western Cluster’s Road User Permit following months of revocation due to public pressure over environmental concerns and corporate irresponsibility.

Speaking yesterday, September 17, 2024 the Ministry of Information, Justice Minister N. Oswald Tweh said the government’s action was “predicated on the issuance of the temporary environmental permit by the EPA, as well as the report of the investigation of the road corridor and repairs and maintenance of the road corridor presently being undertaken by Western Cluster.”

Minister Tweh also spoke of Western Cluster’s agreement to conform to the terms of the Road User Permit and the MDA, and its engagement of a contractor for the continuous maintenance and repair of the road, the Government of Liberia hereby reinstates Western Cluster’s Road User Permit.

But, according to him, “the Government wants to unequivocally state that it will not hesitate to revoke the Road User Permit if Western Cluster fails to honor its commitments and the provisions of the Road User Permit and the MDA.”

“The Government will not allow Western Cluster’s operations to damaged national infrastructures and put the lives of residents at risk.”

He also noted the Bomi road highway granted to Western Cluster to keep ferrying its ores “has reached the end of its design lifespan and is no longer maintainable through patching.”

Given the current “end of its design lifespan” nature of the road itself, coupled with the exacerbated impact of our rainy season, Cllr Tweh said, “it requires significant maintenance or full rehabilitation to accommodate the increasing traffic and the heavy loads transported by the Western Cluster.”

It can be recalled that on May 3, 2024, the Ministry of Public Works suspended Western Cluster Road User Permit because of violations, including hauling of iron ore beyond the 30tons load limit and hauling of ore throughout the day and night contrary to the time provided for in the Road User Permit to haul; failure to erect and install a weighing bridge at Klay junction; failure to effectively and efficiently carryout maintenance and repair of the Tubmanburg to Freeport Road Corridor.

But then on June 5, 2024, Tweh further narrated, following series of engagements with Western Cluster, the suspended Road User Permit was reinstated under the understanding that Western Cluster would widen the road corridor; it would ensure that each truck load will not exceed 30tons load limit and haulage time would be from 7:00 P.M. to 6:00 A.M. daily; would erect and install a weigh bridge at a specified point on the road corridor within three (3) months after the reinstatement of the Road User Permit; loaded trucks would use the railway bridge parallel to the St. Paul Bridge instead of the St. Paul Bridge itself, and that Western Cluster would place on each truck a hotline for the public to report reckless driving.

The Government of Liberia and Western Cluster Limited (“Western Cluster”) in August 2011 signed a Mineral Development Agreement (“MDA”) for the exploration and mining of iron ore in the “Western Cluster Iron Ore Deposits” of Liberia.

In April 2022, the Government of Liberia and Western Cluster executed a MOU for a Road User Permit to be issued by the Ministry of Public Works to allow Western Cluster to transport its ore via the Bomi-Monrovia Highway for three years.

The Road User Permit was issued to Western Cluster in June 2022 and will is was due to expire on July 24, 2025; at which time it is iswas expected that Western Cluster will should have completed a railroad to transport its ore.

Again on July 12, 2024, the Road User Permit was suspended by the Ministry of Public Works for the expiration of Western Cluster’s environmental permit for over thirty days without renewal, which is a violation of the Environmental Protection and Management Law and subsequently, on August 27, 2024, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued Western Cluster a temporary permit for three (3) months.

After suspension of the Road User Permit for a period of more than sixty (60) days, on Saturday, September 14, 2024, in compliance with a presidential mandate, the Minister of Justice, accompanied by the Deputy Minister for Operations of the Ministry of Mines and Energy (MME), Hon. William Hines, and the Assistant Minister of Public Works, Hon. Sundiata S. Juasemai, led a team on an inspection tour of the road corridor from St. Paul Bridge, Virginia to Tubmanburg, Bomi County. The inspection aimed to ascertain the level of intervention (repairs/maintenance of the corridor) done on that corridor by Western Cluster to enable the Government to make an informed decision on the reinstatement of Western Cluster’s suspended Road User Permit.

The primary objectives of the inspection were: to assess the current condition of the road from St. Paul Bridge to Tubmanburg and observe maintenance works carried out by Western Cluster; to evaluate the state of the bridge parallel to the St. Paul Bridge, which Western Cluster had s been instructed to repair, maintain and utilize for use by its truck sits operations to avoid and prevent damage to the St. Paul Bridge; and to review interventions such as patching, shoulder clearing, drainages, and culvert installations along the corridor.

The assessment trip wwas to gather information on Western Cluster’s bypass route, weighbridge facilities, and future rehabilitation plans and following the inspection it was revealed that indeed Western Cluster had done some repair and maintenance work on the road corridor.

It has hired a contractor to continuously repair and maintain the corridor. The contractor informed the the our team that it has a detailed maintenance plan which it will be submitting to the Ministry of Public Works this week; It has almost completely fixed the old bridge, parallel to the St. Paul Bridge, for use by its trucks, while only tarring and finishing is left to be done, which will be done during the dry season.

The assessment also found that contractor has executed repair and maintenance work along the road corridor, repairing seriously damaged portions of the road corridor at various sections, including the old Mobil Compound, Virginia; just before the overpass leading to Hotel Africa (9(drainages were constructed at this section); around Lott Carey Mission; at VOA/Jahtondo Town intersection; around Kaiser Memorial Lawn Cemetery; and at Royesville intersection.