—Was President Boakai Misled After Learning White House Never Credited Company for US Invitation?
Several confident sources are informing the authoritative Independent Probe Newspaper that last week’s secret concession deal signed between the government of Liberia and HPX were a conspiracy to lure the Liberian President in believing that was the only way he could see President Donald Trump.
According to sources, President Joseph Nyuma Boakai is quietly expressing regret and disappointment after trusted White House sources confidentially clarified to him during his visit to Washington that High Power Exploration (HPX) played no part in his official invitation to the US-Africa Leaders’ Summit. The clarification, which came from senior insiders close to President Trump, contradicted the version Boakai had been led to believe before boarding his flight to the United States.
Last Sunday, ahead of the summit, officials from HPX had contacted members of President Boakai’s team, falsely presenting themselves as the architects behind his inclusion among the heads of state scheduled to meet the US President. According to multiple sources close to the Executive Mansion, HPX positioned their claim as a diplomatic favour and used that as leverage to pressure President Boakai into signing the controversial Access Agreement, which grants HPX unimpeded rights to Liberia’s railway and port systems to export iron ore from neighbouring Guinea.
Faced with time constraints and overwhelmed by the narrative that HPX had “opened doors” in Washington, President Boakai signed the agreement. At the time, it appeared to him and some of his senior officials that the decision was both strategic and reciprocal. He was led to believe the signing was not only necessary but a political courtesy for the company’s supposed intervention in diplomatic affairs.
But once in Washington, the narrative quickly began to collapse. People familiar with conversations between Boakai and top aides within the White House disclosed that it was made clear the invitation extended to Liberia’s president had been an independent policy decision from the US government. HPX, according to these sources, had nothing to do with the process. That revelation came as a blow to President Boakai, who by then had already committed Liberia to an agreement many now describe as one-sided and exploitative.
In Liberia, the fallout from the agreement was just beginning. The Access Agreement was signed quietly on Sunday, July 4, 2025. No press release followed. No media outlet was briefed. No formal announcement came from the president’s communications office. It took the US Embassy in Monrovia to reveal the signing publicly, through a casual social media post. Only then did the Liberian public become aware that such a significant agreement had been concluded behind closed doors.
The response from home was swift and scathing. Civil society groups condemned the secrecy. Youth leaders took to the airwaves to demand answers. Journalists dug for details that were never provided. Lawmakers from across party lines expressed concern about the lack of legislative involvement. The media, left in the dark, questioned why a sitting president would make such a major concession without public engagement.
In the days since his return from Washington, sources close to President Boakai say the reality has sunk in. He feels misled. Worse, he feels boxed into a commitment that is increasingly unpopular with the very citizens he pledged to protect and serve. Unconfirmed reports suggest the president has begun seeking legal advice on whether it is possible to review, amend, or cancel the Access Agreement.
What makes the matter more troubling is the method used by HPX to get what it wanted. Their approach based on false claims, rushed commitments, and behind-the-scenes pressure reflects a dangerous level of manipulation. A private foreign company crafting a diplomatic lie to secure control over Liberia’s national infrastructure should alarm every Liberian, regardless of political leaning.
HPX is not digging iron ore in Liberia. They are mining in Guinea. But they want Liberia’s railways, Liberia’s roads, and Liberia’s port to move their product. And in return, Liberia gets next to nothing, no guarantees of jobs, no local business engagement, no long-term investment in infrastructure or education. Just a contract that opens the door for them and closes it behind the Liberian people.
This is not how sovereignty works. A nation cannot and must not function as a corridor for the wealth of another, especially when its own citizens are still struggling with poverty, youth unemployment, and weak public services. Liberia has become a path for foreign ore, while its own people watch the trains pass, empty-handed and forgotten.
This latest development confirms the worst fears of many: that foreign companies are not only buying access but are attempting to bend the truth to suit their business goals. And when the truth is uncovered as it now has been, it leaves a trail of embarrassment, weakened leadership, and a population growing more frustrated by the day.
President Boakai now faces a choice. Accept the mistake and remain silent, or act boldly to undo the damage. The people are waiting. And time is not on his side.
