The Inter-Ministerial Committee constituted to review complaints raised by the Liberia Agricultural Companies Association (LACA) on Thursday, April 2 held its first sitting at the Ministry of Labour in Monrovia. The Inter-Ministerial Committee was established by President Joseph Nyuma Boakai and is chaired by Liberia Labour Minister Cllr. Cooper W. Kruah, Sr. charged to review all concerns raised by the agro group which they maintained hinder their operations.
In its concerns, the Liberia Agricultural Companies Association alarmed, among things, that Liberia’s plantation sector is becoming increasingly uncompetitive. LACA highlighted labour cost pressures, community-service obligations, weak infrastructure, high electricity cost, transport and shipping burdens, and overlapping regulatory and administrative demands. A Labour Ministry press release issued in Monrovia disclosed that given the strategic importance of the agricultural sector to employment, exports, rural livelihoods and domestic value addition, the Inter-Ministerial Committee Chairman Kruah stressed that Government considers it necessary to undertake a rapid, evidence-based review of the concerns in order to validate the claims, determine the principal constraints affecting the sector and identify practical recommendations that balance competitiveness with the public interest.
Core members of the Review Committee include the Ministries of Agriculture, Justice, Finance and Development Planning, Public Works and Commerce and Industry; as well the National Bureau of Concessions, the National Investment Commission, the Liberia Revenue Authority, the National Port Authority, among other relevant public institutions as may be required. The Committee is requested to submit its comprehensive analytical reports and recommendations in withing within twenty (20) working days. The release disclosed that Labour Minister Kruah, addressing the first sitting session of the Committee, stressed that the meeting was in response to a communication received from the office of the Minister of States for Presidential Affairs, informing him about the Presidential directive and the setting of an inter-Ministerial Committee comprising about 20- ministries and agencies of government.
Minister kruah urged members to meticulously review the issues raised by the LACA and advance appropriate recommendations to ameliorate any hitches that may exist in a bid to create a smooth atmosphere for the organization in its functions. He expressed satisfaction over the full attendance of the committee and constituted a secretariat, headed by the National Bureau of Concessions (NBI), with other members drawn from LRA, Finance, Commerce among, others to compile recommendations that will be advanced for final compilation and subsequent submission to the Office of the Presidency within the stipulated time frame. Meanwhile, the next meeting of the Inter-Ministerial Committee is slated for next week Tuesday, April 8 at the Ministry of Labour.
