Monrovia, Liberia – Eugene Lenn Nagbe, the Commissioner and CEO of the Liberia Maritime Authority, has resigned from his position, although he still has two years left on his contract. Nagbe, who was appointed in 2020 to spearhead President George Manneh Weah’s plan to bring Liberia’s marine program back to its pre-war level, is now firmly established as a go-getter in the annals of maritime history after achieving notable successes.
The completion of LiMA’s headquarters and the opening of LiMA Regional Offices in Sinoe and Maryland Counties to serve the ports of Greenville and Harper are among them. Other goals include guaranteeing Liberia’s election to Category A of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) Council in 2023, surpassing Panama as the largest ship registry for the first time in 30 years, increasing international vessel registration by 10 in 2020, and maintaining revenue quotas for the Government of Liberia despite COVID-19. These accomplishments have all strengthened Liberia’s flag state, port state, and ISPS regimes.
Commissioner Nagbe made significant progress in boosting Liberia’s competitiveness in the maritime sector during his three-year term. As part of this, scholarships were given to several youth to attend the World Maritime University in Sweden and the Regional Maritime University in Ghana to pursue specialized jobs in marine engineering, nautical science, and marine electrical and electronics.
Liberia was chosen as the IMO’s Marine Environmental Protection Committee Chair during his term. The number of vessels and gross registered tonnage saw a historical increase of 10.7% and 12.6%, respectively, in the shipping registry, the largest growth in ten years. In order to speed up turnaround times at the Freeport of Monrovia, Liberia operationalized the FAL Convention, re-joined the International Association of Marine Aids to Navigation and Lighthouse Authority (IALA), and got ready for the IMO Member States Audit scheme, which is a required procedure to evaluate Liberia’s compliance with important IMO instruments.
After spearheading President Weah’s campaign for a second term and accomplishing the historic feat of elevating Liberia back to the top tier of the IMO Council in Category A, the LiMA boss is stepping down. This puts the nation’s marine program on a path for long-term, steady growth. Mr. Nagbe has made suggestions to close acquaintances that it would be morally required for him to depart as a member of President Weah’s departing staff in light of his involvement in the re-election campaign, rather than being linked to people whose political views he does not share.
Mr. Nagbe’s close colleagues have hinted that he plans to forge a strong opposition bloc under the Coalition Democratic Change (CDC). He formally filed his resignation with President Weah, indicating his intention to leave on this day, January 18, 2024.
