Commercial drivers across Monrovia staged a large-scale protest on Monday, demanding the immediate cancellation of a controversial 25-year concession agreement between the Government of Liberia and Liberia Traffic Management Incorporated (LTMI), which they claim is exploitative and threatens their livelihoods.
The agreement, signed in September 2018 and ratified later that year, transfers control of traffic enforcement, key transport routes, and core operational functions from the Ministry of Transport to LTMI, a private firm with foreign backing.
Though dormant for several years, the deal was reactivated in January 2025 following President Joseph Boakai’s endorsement and a Supreme Court ruling in May that cleared the way for implementation. Its full activation on July 16 has sparked growing unrest in the capital.
Protesters argue that the arrangement strips the Ministry of Transport of authority and places Liberian drivers under excessive and punitive enforcement measures. Complaints of harassment, extortion, and unaffordable fines have fueled public anger, with drivers accusing LTMI officers of routinely demanding bribes or threatening vehicle impoundment.
“Whenever we’re pulled over by LTM officials, they either ask for a US$20 bribe or threaten to tow our vehicles,” protester Emanuel B. Silegba alleged. “Even when we present valid documents issued by the Ministry of Transport, they still reject them. They claim our taillights or tires aren’t acceptable, but most of us can only afford second-hand parts. Now, our wives and children are suffering because we have no money.”
Fellow protester Franklin Sisco, a commercial driver for 17 years, accused the government of “allowing foreign-backed firms to dominate local transport and exploit Liberians.” He highlighted what he called “double punishment,” where LTMI officers and police issue separate fines, often totaling more than US$150, while courts favor enforcement agencies.
“When government officials break the law, the courts compromise. When it’s ordinary citizens, the full law is enforced,” Sisco said. “They forget that we are the people who drive them to work.”
The drivers’ action comes just days after more than 200 employees of the Ministry of Transport marched to the Capitol to petition lawmakers, warning the concession could cost over US$275 million in lost state revenue and at least 265 ministry jobs over its duration. The Liberian Senate has since called on President Boakai to halt the agreement, but no response has yet been issued by the Executive Mansion.
Anger over the deal continues to build, with drivers and transport workers urging the government to cancel the LTMI concession and restore full control of traffic management to the Ministry of Transport.
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