Former PPCC Head Denies Involvement in 2018 TIA Deal, States that “No Concession Approval Was Ever Granted”

CAPITOL HILL, LIBERIA: The former Executive Director of the Public Procurement and Concessions Commission (PPCC), Mr. Dorbor Jallah, on Thursday, November 11, 2025, delivered a detailed clarification on Liberia’s 2018 procurement processes.

Dorbor Jallah firmly distanced himself and the PPCC from any concession-related approvals linked to the controversial Telecom International Alliance (TIA) agreement.

Jallah appeared before the House of Representatives Joint Committee on Post & Telecommunications, Investment & Concession, and Judiciary during its third public hearing on the proposed de-ratification of the TIA agreement with the Government of Liberia.

The session was presided over by Representative Ivar K. Jones of Margibi County.

In his testimony, the PPCC's former boss explained that the Liberia Telecommunications Authority (LTA) submitted a procurement plan in 2018 that received only provisional approval.

This temporary clearance, Jallah stressed, authorized the LTA to begin standard procurement activities—not concession negotiations or contract awards.

He explained that any procurement above the legal financial threshold requires a PPCC “No Objection” before award, adding that the 2018 provisional approval did not confer authority for awarding a contract.

“The LTA’s submission was strictly for traditional procurement,” Jallah stated. “It did not include, and was never intended to include, any concession-related activities. Concessions Follow an Entirely Different Legal Path”

Jallah painstakingly outlined Liberia’s required legal framework for processing concessions—one he says was never triggered for the TIA deal.

He named a Certificate of Concession issued by the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning (MFDP) verifying that the proposed concession aligns with the national development agenda; a Concession Procurement Plan developed by the requesting entity and reviewed and approved by the PPCC; formation of an Inter-Ministerial Concessions Committee (IMCC) by the President to supervise the concession process under the National Investment Commission (NIC) as basic requirement.

He clarified that none of these steps took place for any gateway monitoring or TIA-related arrangement during his tenure.

In one of the most consequential statements of the hearing, Jallah told lawmakers that he has no recollection of ever granting concession approval for any gateway monitoring service, and those recent checks of his personal files show no concession procurement plan from the LTA, no approval from the PPCC, and no documentation linked to TIA under concession procedures.

“There is simply no record—because no concession approval of that nature was ever granted,” he insisted.

Following Jallah’s testimony, the Joint Committee entered executive deliberations in its Committee Room. The committee is expected to compile its findings and submit a formal report to the House Plenary, which will determine the next course of legislative action regarding the controversial TIA agreement.