Grand Gedeh Residents Raise Concession Compliance Concerns

MONROVIA — Residents of Grand Gedeh County have raised concerns over alleged violations of concession agreements, inadequate economic benefits and environmental problems linked to extractive activities in the county. The concerns were raised during two awareness sessions organized by the Center for Media Studies and Peacebuilding (CEMESP), with funding from GIZ-Liberia, to increase public understanding of concession agreements and promote accountability in Liberia's extractive sector. The sessions, held September 8 in Putu District and September 9 in Zwedru, brought together more than 250 participants, including community members, journalists, civil society representatives, local officials and development partners. Discussions focused on the Liberia Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative's Abridged Simplified Contract Matrix, which provides condensed information on concession agreements to help citizens understand the obligations of companies and government. Keep up with the latest headlines on WhatsApp | LinkedIn LEITI Sector Analyst J. Elijah Kai led discussions focusing on the operations and contractual obligations of Euro Liberia Logging Company and International Consultant Capitol, which operate in Grand Gedeh County. Copies of the simplified contract matrix were distributed to participants to help them examine provisions covering revenue disclosure, beneficial ownership, community rights, employment, environmental protection and the responsibilities of concessionaires and government. During the discussions, participants complained about what they described as persistent violations of concession agreements and failure by some companies to meet commitments to affected communities. They also raised concerns about limited economic benefits, illicit mining and environmental hazards allegedly resulting from extractive activities in the county. Kai said the simplified contract initiative is intended to close the information gap between concessionaires, government and communities by translating complex agreements into formats that ordinary citizens can understand and use to demand accountability. "The simplified contract matrix is intended to change that situation by making critical contractual information accessible to communities, journalists and civil society organizations," Kai said. "We are telling the people that this is the information you need to know, so that when you know the information, you engage your county officials and have engagement meetings with them," he added. Kai said Liberia has entered into numerous concession agreements across the mining, oil, gas and other extractive sectors, making public understanding of contractual obligations critical to ensuring that communities receive promised benefits. Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox By submitting above, you agree to our privacy policy . We need to confirm your email address. To complete the process, please follow the instructions in the email we just sent you. There was a problem processing your submission. Please try again later. He encouraged residents not to simply observe the extraction of natural resources from their communities, but to familiarize themselves with provisions governing employment, environmental protection, social services and other company obligations. Participants were also encouraged to examine concession agreements and determine whether companies operating in their communities are fulfilling their commitments. Kai stressed that economic activities in Grand Gedeh should translate into tangible benefits, including employment opportunities for residents. CEMESP said the initiative is intended to strengthen citizens' ability to scrutinize concession operations and engage local authorities and companies on compliance with contractual obligations. Read the original article on New Dawn . AllAfrica publishes around 600 reports a day from more than 90 news organizations and over 500 other institutions