Of Interest22 Jan 2014 10:55
FRONTPAGEAFRICA: We've seen troubles at some of these big concessions like the China Union and the Equatorial Oil Palm; most of the stories we hear are that Liberians do not have security on the job and they also are lacking in basic services like housing-is the NIC responsible for addressing these kinds of concern?
WOTORSON: Somewhat. Our primary responsibility is, attracting the investment, negotiating the agreements and helping the investor both foreign and domestic, navigate their way through the rules and regulations-the laws and everything, so that they comply with our rules but ultimately also so they get set up. As it relates to the problems that you are talking about, you are absolutely right, there has been a number of problems-but I will be the first to tell you that one of the primary reasons for the problems that we have seen, has to do with the way we've entered into some of these agreements in the past and let me give you an example.
If we decide we are going to give an agriculture-related concession out to a particular organization and we say we are going to give them a hundred thousand hectares of land, it becomes incredibly important for us to properly survey that land to make sure that the land is in fact not encumbered. It is incumbent upon us to make sure we properly conduct outreach to the people who live on that land so that they understand what the concession agreement is about and that they understand what they are going to gain as a result of that concession. That has not happened as much as it should and so in many cases when we get the concessions here, they begin to attempt to start work, they find out that in fact the land is encumbered and that there are people there. That's where a lot of the problems come from. So it becomes our responsibility (the entire government) to work with the concession and the communities to make sure we address and put the land issues to rest and the NIC has to play a lead role in that.
FRONTPAGEAFRICA: With the oil and gas reform process ongoing, what is the NIC's role in fixing the oil law?
WOTORSON: The NIC sits on the committee that reviews these draft laws/legislations and so the NIC provides its input, its substantive thoughtful advice on a lot of these issues, but you also have to understand that both those who draft the petroleum laws and the people who sit in the ministry of finance-all of these people across government-we all sit on interrelated committees. Whether we're talking about the petroleum laws, whether we're talking about agriculture issues, we're all collaboratively talking about these issues at the same time. In essence, the NIC has been and will continue to be at the table providing its input on a lot of these issues.
FRONTPAGEAFRICA: Is there anything that the NIC can do to push Liberian interest in these agreements? Like you know we think this is what you should do for these concessions to benefit Liberians?
WOTORSON: Absolutely! When we are neg
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