Liberia news: Much ado about nothing, the time to reset our national priorities through the right policies

By  Nementorbor Martin Kpahn

AUSTRALIA-A few years ago, in February 2022, I was on a Royal Air Maroc flight from Casablanca, Morocco, to Roberts International Airport (RIA) in Liberia. I was barely managing to keep awake after a very long flight from Australia. The captain’s voice buzzed over the aircraft’s PA system with the welcome announcement: “Cabin crew prepare for landing.”

But instead of the aircraft landing, the almost hoarse voice announced on the PA system minutes later, “We are headed back to Freetown, there is a problem at the airport.” The entire aeroplane became extremely quiet, and we all waited with bated breath. Sleep drained away fast from my eyes, and the terror of potential death stared at us passengers and crew with stark reality.

Nementorbor  Martin Kpahn

I knew our airplane was low on  fuel and needed to refuel in Monrovia. Was the fuel in the aircraft enough to reach us back into Freetown? We (passengers) became deadly quiet. When we approached Lungi International Airport, I could see the firefighting vehicles and ambulances just in case we crashed. I was saying my prayers and confessing my sins.

Thankfully, our pilot managed to land the Royal Air Maroc plane. We broke into spontaneous applause because God saved us that day from almost certain death if our plane had crashed.

Why were we in such a dire predicament in the first place?

The electricity at Liberia’s only international airport was off for various reasons. Nearly twenty years after the war, Liberia could not manage to keep the lights on at the gateway to the nation, imperilling the lives of those of us returning home to see family and friends along with a handful of Indian and Lebanese businessmen.

Liberia’s economy was buoyant in the late 1960s and early 1970s, driven by massive iron ore, timber, gold, and rubber exports. Foreign exports were booming, and the Liberian economy surged above most of Sub-Saharan Africa. One of West Africa’s first five-star hotels, the Ducor Palace Hotel, perched high on the hill of Mamba Point overlooking Liberia’s seaside capital, announced to the world that Liberia was close to paradise.

But this growth and apparent prosperity hid a dark reality. Liberia’s economy was growing massively and, at some stage, was second only to Japan in terms of GDP growth. This impressive GDP growth hid a stark reality. Liberia’s economy was growing without development, especially in terms of infrastructure. While the economy grew, roads, bridges, electricity, public transport and buildings lagged far behind those of Liberia’s neighbours. The strange phenomena of a growing economy without growth in infrastructure was aptly described by Professor George Clower et al. and his fellow researchers in their book Growth Without Development: Economy Survey of Liberia, published in 1966. Liberia’s economy, spurred by foreign direct investments such as Lamco, Bong Mines, National Iron Ore Company, Firestone, Vanply Wood Company and others, were exploiting the country’s natural resources and exporting them without capital investment in the things that matter.

The late madame Victoria Tolbert, in her book Lifted UP-The Victoria Tolbert Story, said that when she first married her husband William R. Tolbert in 1936, there were few doctors in Liberia. In 2024, there are still few doctors in Liberia. According to the World Health Organisation, there is one doctor to 15:000 persons in Liberia, and the WHO recommended ratio is 1:1000. So, do you see the picture?

Liberia’s road connectivity is inferior, with Liberia being among the least in West Africa in terms of road connectivity. There are less than 2000 km of paved roads in all weather (coal Tar) roads in the country. Less than 10% of Liberia’s roads are paved, with areas in the southeast and northwest of Liberia being the most deprived in terms of road connectivity, especially in the country’s long rainy season. How can a country rich in natural resources, abundant rainfall, and a relatively small population be so backward regarding infrastructure?

According to Historian Joseph K. Tellowoyan in his book, The Years the Locust Have Eaten: Liberia 1816-2004, writes in 1869, 45% of government expenditures went to paying salary and benefits to government employees and supplies,11% on the military, 13% on miscellaneous supplies with only 3 % on education. Recurrent expenditures made up more than 75% of government expenditures. Fast forward to our recent expenditures. 81 % of our budget for 2024 is used for recurrent spending. In 2022, Recurrent Expenditure was US$647.6 million, while Public Sector Investment Plans accrued US$139 million – a much smaller part of the government’s budget.

Now, suppose you spend more than 75% of your budget on paying the salaries of government officials and other expenses to run the government. If we spend most of our country’s money on running the government, that leaves very little room for building the electricity grid, paving the roads, building bridges, hospitals, and schools.

We need to rethink our approach to governance and national development. In 10 years, if we spend more on capital investments such as roads, water, electricity, and education, we will see the dividends for future generations.

Our neighbour, Cote D’Ivoire, has been able to pave 600 kilometres of roads yearly for the past decade and build a metro system. Sierra Leone recently built a new airport. Cuba, as poor as it is under the yoke of communism, has one of the world’s best health systems.

Rethinking our approach, focusing more on the things that matter, and implementing them could lead our nation to more significant and higher heights. We are too rich as a nation to be going around the world with begging bowls. In subsequent articles, I will show how our neighbours and other countries like Singapore and Namibia have harnessed their resources for national development without depending on others.

Nementorbor Martin Kpahn is a Liberian currently residing in Australia. He holds a master’s degree in communication from Griffith University and a Master of Science degree in research from the University of Southern Queensland. Kpahn is pursuing a PhD at the University of Southern Queensland and writes regularly on Liberian politics and society. Mobile number +61457621390 or mkpahn@yahoo.com