IPNEWS: Liberians of all professional belongings welcome new investments that create jobs and drive economic growth, but such investments must be pursued transparently and in the national interest. HPX, which has a troubling history of influencing decision-making such as its controversial $35 million payment to the George Weah administration outside of any ratified agreement cannot be allowed to dictate Liberia’s economic future through dubious deals.
The company’s push for rail access under a questionable framework agreement not only undermines Liberia’s sovereignty but also risks deterring other credible investors who would engage in fair and lawful negotiations.
Liberia must set clear standards for investment including ones that prioritize accountability, national benefit, and long-term economic stability over backdoor arrangements that serve only a select few.High Power Exploration (HPX), a company spearheaded by billionaire Robert Friedland, continues to aggressively pressure Liberia for access to its rail and port infrastructure, despite having no confirmed deal with Guinea allowing cross-border transportation of iron ore.HPX has been lobbying the Liberian government to secure rights to the Yekepa-Buchanan railway, while it argues that it needs the infrastructure to export ore from the massive Nimba iron ore deposit in Guinea. However, Guinea’s government has made no public commitment to allowing HPX to transport ore through Liberia, and this raises questions about the company’s true intentions.HPX’s situation is made even more precarious by Guinea’s existing $15 billion investment plan, which includes the construction of a 670-kilometer railway from the Beyla region to a deep-water port at Moribayah,
Forécariah. With Guinea already investing in its own infrastructure, many industry analysts question whether Guinea would ever approve HPX’s plan to use Liberian territory for iron ore exports.
“You finish chop your own. Now you want ours to pass through your post? That one not happen”, an armed man assigned at SFMG proposed mines in Lola Guinea told the Liberian Investigator few months back Liberian officials have been tight-lipped on the issue, but sources inside the Ministry of Mines and Energy say HPX’s demands put Liberia in a difficult position.
“HPX is acting as if Guinea has given them the green light, but in reality, Guinea is focused on developing its own infrastructure. If Guinea says no, then Liberia would have been pressured into giving HPX rail access for no reason,” one official noted.“It is Guinean ore that they are supposed to transport through Liberian. It is not a normal situation in Guinea and there is a military government there that must approve”
The National Investment Commission is concerned that if HPX fails to secure the necessary approvals from Guinea, Liberia could be left in an awkward diplomatic position, having granted infrastructure access to a company that cannot deliver on its end of the deal. With this uncertainty looming,
many are urging the Liberian government to demand clear documentation from HPX proving that Guinea has authorized cross-border ore transport before any agreement is considered.
