AMB. YORLAY’S PARIS PARTNERSHIP DIALOGUE WITH HAROPA PORT MARKS A NEW FRONTIER IN LIBERIA’S MARITIME DIPLOMACY
NPA Reaffirms Full Institutional Readiness for Global Investment and Cooperation in Consonance with the RESET Strategic Plan and Reform Leadership of Hon. Sekou A.M. Dukuly
The National Port Authority (NPA) of Liberia has welcome with great institutional satisfaction, the outcomes of the strategic partnership dialogue held on March 31, 2026, at the Liberian Embassy near Paris, France, between Liberia’s Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to France, Dr. Teeko Tozay Yorlay Sr., and Mr. Cedric VIRCIGLIO, Director for International Relations, European Affairs and Strategic Foresight at HAROPA PORT. The engagement, aimed at establishing a sisterly port relationship between the National Port Authority of Liberia and HAROPA PORT, represents a milestone in Liberia’s efforts to integrate its maritime sector into the broader network of global port cooperation and technical excellence.
HAROPA PORT, founded in 2021 through the integration of the ports of Le Havre, Rouen, and Paris into a unified system along the Seine corridor, stands as one of Europe’s foremost maritime and logistics platforms, serving international trade flows through an interconnected network of maritime shipping, inland waterways, rail freight, and industrial operations. The decision by HAROPA PORT to engage the NPA in formal partnership dialogue speaks volumes about the growing confidence of the international maritime community in Liberia’s port reform agenda and the direction in which the NPA is headed.
A NATURAL EXPRESSION OF THE NPA RESET STRATEGIC PLAN 2025 TO 2030
The significance of Ambassador Yorlay’s engagement in Paris extends well beyond the domain of diplomatic protocol. It is, at its core, a natural and organic expression of the NPA’s RESET Strategic Plan 2025 to 2030, the transformational blueprint through which the Authority is methodically repositioning Liberia’s maritime infrastructure as a preferred destination for international investment, institutional cooperation, and sustained operational growth. The five pillars of RESET encompass Revenue optimization, Efficiency in port operations, Safety and security, Environment and sustainability, and Technological modernization. Each of these pillars finds direct correspondence in the cooperation framework proposed between the NPA and HAROPA PORT.
The anticipated Memorandum of Understanding, which HAROPA PORT has committed to developing and submitting for review within two weeks, is expected to cover areas including capacity building and professional training, technical knowledge exchange, port development and modernization support, and potential assistance in addressing equipment and operational needs. These are not incidental areas of cooperation. They are the precise interventions that the RESET Plan identifies as critical to elevating the Freeport of Monrovia and Liberia’s broader port system to world-class standards. The alignment is deliberate, coherent, and unmistakable.
THE REFORM DIVIDEND: LEADERSHIP OF HON. SEKOU A.M. DUKULY
The NPA acknowledges with clarity and conviction that the institutional credibility of making the Paris dialogue possible is the harvest of a sustained and deliberate reform agenda led by the NPA’s Managing Director, Hon. Sekou A.M. Dukuly. Since assuming leadership of the Authority, Hon. Dukuly has pursued a comprehensive program of institutional transformation encompassing operational transparency, governance reform, staff capacity development, and stakeholder engagement, which has collectively redefined Liberia’s maritime identity in the eyes of the international community.
Under the stewardship of Hon. Dukuly, the NPA has not contented itself with the routine administration of a port. It has engaged in the purposeful reconstruction of a maritime institution built on accountability, efficiency, and the aspiration for global relevance. The readiness of an institution of the stature of HAROPA PORT to formalize cooperation with the NPA, to welcome a technical delegation for a working visit, and to engage in site assessment discussions is not merely an outcome of this one diplomatic encounter. It is the cumulative reward of the consistent, principled, and results-driven leadership that Hon. Dukuly has brought to the helm of the NPA. Institutions of international standing do not commit to partnerships built on goodwill alone. They commit to institutions that have demonstrated trustworthiness, and that trust has been painstakingly earned.
ALIGNMENT WITH THE ARREST AGENDA FOR INCLUSIVE DEVELOPMENT
The NPA further recognizes that the engagement in Paris reflects a broader whole-of-government coherence in the pursuit of Liberia’s national development objectives. Ambassador Yorlay, during the dialogue, rightly underscored that the initiative aligns with the Government of Liberia’s commitment to deepening bilateral relations with France through institutional partnerships and people-to-people exchanges. It is equally aligned with the development vision of His Excellency President Joseph Nyumah Boakai, as articulated through the ARREST Agenda for Inclusive Development, which places the strengthening of international cooperation at the very center of Liberia’s national development strategy.
This coherence between diplomatic initiative, institutional port reform, and national development vision is precisely the kind of integrated, forward-looking governance that gives international partners confidence to engage. It signals that Liberia speaks with one voice on matters of national development, and that the NPA is a fully committed actor within that national chorus.
THE FREEPORT OF MONROVIA: OPEN FOR PARTNERSHIP, READY FOR THE WORLD
The National Port Authority of Liberia takes this occasion to reaffirm, without reservation, that the Freeport of Monrovia is open for business. It is open for investment, open for technical cooperation, and open for global partnerships of the highest institutional calibre. The dialogue in Paris, with its promising trajectory toward a formalized Memorandum of Understanding, a technical delegation exchange, and a site visit to HAROPA PORT, is not the conclusion of a process. It is the promising beginning of a structured, results-oriented partnership that will yield tangible benefits for Liberia’s port workforce, its operational infrastructure, and its standing within the global maritime community.
The NPA commends His Excellency Ambassador Yorlay for his vision, initiative, and diplomatic acumen in advancing this engagement. The Authority pledges its full institutional support and readiness to work in close collaboration with the Office of the Ambassador, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and all relevant government bodies to bring this partnership to its fullest realization, in service of the Liberian people and the broader ambition of a transformed and globally connected maritime Liberia.
ABOUT THE NATIONAL PORT AUTHORITY OF LIBERIA
The National Port Authority (NPA) of Liberia is the statutory body responsible for the administration, management, and development of Liberia’s ports, including the Freeport of Monrovia and the Port of Buchanan. Operating under the RESET Strategic Plan 2025 to 2030, the NPA is committed to advancing port modernization, operational efficiency, safety, and international maritime cooperation in support of Liberia’s national development agenda.
