“National Minerals Company Was Our Idea”

By Fiona Benson

Former Minister of Mines and Energy, Wilmot J.M. Paye, has broken his silence with a sharply worded public intervention.

Paye accused officials at the Ministry of attempting to erase or downplay major policy achievements he made during his tenure, particularly the Ministry’s Five-Year Strategic Plan and the long-pursued proposal to establish a National Minerals Company (NMC).

In a detailed statement titled: “No Dishonesty in Professionalism,” Paye said, his decision to speak out was not driven by a desire for personal recognition, but by a troubling departure from the principles of good governance, institutional memory and professional integrity.

Paye added: “To rewrite the recent chapter of the Ministry doesn’t mean one must first destroy those who wrote that chapter. This is impossible while I am still alive.”

Mr. Paye said, he served during a “most difficult period for the Ministry.”

He expressed concern over a deliberate effort to present inherited initiatives as newly conceived ideas, without acknowledgment of the officials and technical teams that developed them.

“One such instance, according to him, was the recent launch of the Ministry’s Five-Year Strategic Plan.

Paye said, it was “shocking” that no reference was made to those who conceptualized and developed the document, clarifying that the plan was as the result of “intentional actions and efforts” facilitated by Cooper Mykers, under the supervision of the Deputy Minister for Planning, Research and Development; later refined by the Ministry’s Procurement Director.

Paye noted that the plan was formally referenced in his November 21, 2025, handover speech, stating that: “This plan was not a product of the Big Bang Theory,” dismissing any suggestion that it emerged spontaneously under the current leadership.

He also took issue with recent reports suggesting that the establishment of a National Minerals Company is a newly proposed concept.

Paye: “The idea was one of the flagship priorities of my administration. It was openly discussed within the Economic Management Team and the Inter-Ministerial Concession Committee (IMCC).”

To substantiate his claim, Paye referenced a formal letter dated October 27, 2025, addressed to President Joseph Nyuma Boakai, in which he confirmed submitted a draft Executive Order proposing the establishment of the NMC.

The letter outlines the proposed company’s mandate, including managing Liberia’s exploration and mining activities, overseeing the state’s equity interests in mineral concessions, engaging in joint ventures, and safeguarding the country’s commercial interests in the mining sector.

Paye argued that the absence of such a national mechanism has forced Liberia to rely largely on the “good faith” of concession holders when declaring profits; a situation he warned, could result in understated dividends and continued economic leakage.

Drawing parallels to the hydrocarbon sector, where the National Oil Company of Liberia (NOCAL) manages state interests, Paye described the NMC proposal as a “game-changer” that could move the country toward economic and financial sovereignty.

While detailing that all achievements ultimately belong to the Liberia and are exercised “at the pleasure of the President,” Paye said, it is unfair for current officials to “hide behind executive grace” while diminishing the contributions of those who served before them.

“Thinking is hard work. When that thinking results into measurable outcomes, it is noteworthy.”

Paye warned that nation-building suffers when public officials seek accolades for milestones they did not originate, instead of building upon existing foundations. He called on those currently in public service to “swallow their pride and acknowledge the efforts of others, regardless of political differences or personal feelings.”