Published: June 17, 2026
MONROVIA – The University of Liberia Faculty Association has strongly opposed reports that part of the University of Liberia’s Fendall campus could be allocated for a government-backed housing project for civil servants, warning that the move would undermine the institution’s long-term expansion plans and compromise its academic mission.
In a statement issued through its secretary-general, Eric T. S. Patten, ULFA insisted that the Fendall property was acquired exclusively for academic development and the future growth of the state-run institution, and it objected to committing any of that land for residential use.
The protest comes amid reports that the government has established a special inter-agency committee to secure land for the construction of housing units for civil servants. The Liberian Investigator has learned from highly placed sources that the committee comprises the National Housing Authority; the ministries of Public Works, Finance and Development Planning, Justice, and State for Presidential Affairs; the Liberia Land Authority; the Public Procurement and Concessions Commission; the National Investment Commission; and the Civil Service Agency, which chairs the initiative.
Sources said the committee is seeking a parcel of land for the proposed project, which is reportedly being undertaken by Latrix Company Limited, a Nigeria-based real estate firm, under the coordination of the CSA. The sources stressed that the land acquisition is being pursued by the government as a whole and not solely by the agency.
ULFA argued that the Fendall property has long been designated for the University’s future development under an approved master plan known as the “New University City.” According to the association, the UL Faculty Senate previously endorsed a regional mapping and expansion blueprint that identifies specific portions of the property for future academic and administrative use.
“The UL property, provided by the Government of Liberia since the 1970s, is solely for University activities and not for any other purpose,” the statement said. “It is in this vane, the UL authorities through the courts moved to evict all persons who had illegally acquired these lands and constructed buildings and reclaimed the entire lands to ensure that it remains only for the use of the University’s operations.”
The association said the expansion strategy remains critical as enrollment grows and the University introduces new academic programs. It warned that introducing a residential community within the academic space could create long-term challenges and erode a vision established by previous administrations, arguing that universities are deliberately situated in environments that promote learning and research without external distractions.
“While the expansion plans of the UL have been laid out for the present and the future and with the growing population and emergence of new programs at the UL, it is ultra-positive for any person to commit any parcel of land for residential purposes,” the statement said.
The faculty body argued that such a decision would expose the University to unnecessary risks and weaken efforts to transform it into a world-class institution comparable to leading universities across Africa and beyond.
“Henceforth, the leadership of ULFA objects and protests the sale or donation of any parcel of the UL Fendall lands as it would distort the existing plans of the UL expansion,” the statement said. “More so, agreeing to establish an entire residential community within the academic space would undermine the ‘New University City’ plan of the UL.”
When contacted for comment, University of Liberia Relations Director Cllr. Norris Tweah said he had recently returned from a three-week international trip and was not in a position to comment because he had not yet gathered sufficient information on the matter. Tweah referred inquiries to Winston Parley of the University’s Relations Department, who also declined, saying he was not authorized to speak on administrative matters concerning the University.
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