Gbarpolu County Senator Amara M. Konneh and River Gee County Senator Jonathan B. Sogbie have called the attention of the Liberian Senate to a jurisdictional conflict between the Liberia Petroleum Regulatory Authority (LPRA) and the National Oil Company of Liberia (NOCAL) in the implementation of the Petroleum (Exploration and Production) Act of 2014 (the “Petroleum Law”).
In a communication to Plenary on Tuesday, June 2, 2026, both Senators said the conflict, if left unresolved, poses risks to investor confidence, revenue generation, regulatory transparency, and the integrity of Liberia’s hydrocarbon governance.
Senators Konneh and Sogbie said when the Legislature enacted the Petroleum Law, it established a clear separation of functions: NOCAL was constituted as a commercial state-owned enterprise, and LPRA was vested with regulatory authority over the upstream petroleum sector, including NOCAL itself.
They said the governance architecture was designed to enforce accountability, prevent conflicts of interest, and align Liberia’s legal framework with international best practice.
According to the senators, reports suggest that NOCAL has entered into an agreement with two foreign companies, GeoPartners and Searcher, and that this partnership, authorizing the companies to conduct petroleum reconnaissance activities in Liberia without a license from the LPRA.
“Under Section 11.1 of the Petroleum Law, reconnaissance activities require a license granted exclusively by the LPRA: “A company may, upon payment of the prescribed fee, apply to the authority for the granting of a reconnaissance license in a designated area for the conduct of surveys, excluding drilling activities, assessing the geological, geophysical, geochemical and geotechnical characteristics of that designated area.”
“This statutory language is unambiguous, yet NOCAL maintains that its actions are legal. If this conflict is left unaddressed, such precedents erode the rule of law in the petroleum sector and undermine the utility of future legislative reforms,” Konneh and Sogbie said.
The Gbarpolu and River Gee County Senators requested that the Senate Plenary cite the Minister of Justice, the Minister of Mines and Energy, the head of the Liberia Petroleum Regulatory Authority (LPRA), and the President of the National Oil Company of Liberia (NOCAL) to appear before the full body.
The Senators indicated that the hearing will address specific issues like whether the activities of GeoPartners and Searcher constitute reconnaissance petroleum activities as defined under Part I of the Petroleum Law; if so, whether those companies are required under Section 11.1 to obtain a reconnaissance license from the LPRA before conducting such operations; if so, whether the LPRA has issued the required licenses; the precise statutory boundaries of NOCAL’s and LPRA’s respective authorities in the awarding of petroleum rights, and what structural, regulatory, or legislative measures are recommended to prevent recurrence of such jurisdictional conflicts.
He said Plenary should mandate NOCAL to send copies of both agreements to the Senate and halt any further engagements with and the activities of GeoPartners and Searcher pending the outcome of the Senate’s intervention.
The lawmakers urged the Senate to exercise their robust oversight in this matter as it is not merely appropriate-it is constitutionally required. Liberia’s natural resources must be governed with transparency and in strict accordance with the law enacted by this body.
A motion was filed by Grand Kru County Senator Albert T. Chie that Plenary should form a whole to look into the matter, at which time those witnesses would appear.
