LPRA, NOCAL Clash Over Oil Block Sales

By Lincoln G. Peters 

Capitol Hill, Monrovia, June 3, 2026: A fierce power struggle is brewing in Liberia’s oil sector, with the National Oil Company of Liberia (NOCAL) and the Liberia Petroleum Regulatory Authority (LPRA) locked in a bitter dispute over controversial oil block dealings involving GeoPartners and Searcher.

At the center of the storm is a high-stakes jurisdictional battle between the regulator, LPRA, and the state oil company, NOCAL, over who truly controls key decisions in Liberia’s petroleum sector.

Sources claim NOCAL is asserting authority to negotiate oil blocks directly with potential investors, a move critics say encroaches on powers legally reserved for the LPRA.

The standoff has now exploded onto the Senate floor, prompting Gbarpolu County Senator Amara M. Konneh and River Gee County Senator Jonathan Boye Charles Sogbie to formally seek legislative intervention over what they describe as a dangerous conflict in the regulation and implementation of Liberia’s Petroleum Law.

“We write to respectfully draw the attention of the Honorable 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”). This conflict, if left unresolved, poses risks to investor confidence, revenue generation, regulatory transparency, and the integrity of Liberia’s hydrocarbon governance,” they stated. 

The senators stressed that the Legislature deliberately created a strict separation of roles under the Petroleum Law, with NOCAL operating as a commercial state-owned enterprise and LPRA empowered to regulate the upstream petroleum sector, including NOCAL itself.

According to them, that structure was meant to protect accountability, prevent conflicts of interest, and bring Liberia’s petroleum governance in line with international best practice.

But in a troubling twist, the lawmakers disclosed reports indicating that NOCAL has entered into an agreement with two foreign companies, GeoPartners and Searcher, allegedly authorizing them to conduct petroleum reconnaissance activities in Liberia without an LPRA license.

Under Section 11.1 of the Petroleum Law, reconnaissance activities require a license issued exclusively by the LPRA. The senators argued that the law leaves little room for doubt, yet NOCAL insists its actions are lawful. They warned that if the dispute is not quickly settled, it could weaken the rule of law in the petroleum sector and cast a long shadow over future reforms.

Against that backdrop, the senators are urging plenary to summon the Minister of Justice, the Minister of Mines and Energy, the head of the LPRA, and the President of NOCAL to appear before the full Senate and answer for the escalating controversy.

” The hearing shall address the following specific issues: 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 award of petroleum rights, and What structural, regulatory, or legislative measures are recommended to prevent recurrence of such jurisdictional conflicts?”, they noted. 

They further want to compel NOCAL to submit copies of both agreements to the Senate and to suspend any further dealings with GeoPartners and Searcher until the matter is fully examined.

“The Liberian Senate’s exercise of robust oversight in this matter 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. We trust the Honorable Senate will accord this matter the urgent attention it deserves”, they conclude.