Former Board Chair and Emeriti Board Member Joe Bell received a letter from former President of Liberia Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, thanking him for ISLPs legal assistance following her election and in the years that immediately followed.
“When our administration commenced in 2006 and was faced with a collapsed economy and dysfunctional institutions, we reached out for support in evaluating and renegotiating concession agreements and contracts and we quickly received the assistance required. This resulted in the landmark renegotiation of the Firestone and Arcelor Mittal Concession Agreements with significant improved benefit to Liberia.
Throughout the twelve years of the Administration, ISLP provided pro bono service as requested in a wide range of endeavors, including those that required a restructuring and regularization of the country’s nascent petroleum exploration programs. Liberia was not successful in the effort to discover oil, but significant benefits accrued to the country through the Petroleum Service Contract. Today, we have new petroleum exploration laws which meet the highest international standards in terms of transparency and accountability thereby ensuring the basis for renewed action in exploration.
Thank you for helping Liberia to be what it is today, a peaceful nation with the foundation in placed to ensure sustained development.”
ISLP volunteer Jeff Wood spent considerable time on the Petroleum Service Contract in 2008/2009; it’s wonderful to see that Joe, Jeff and all of our volunteers and staff who helped on this project have been recognized by President Sirleaf for their contribution.