Konneh Diagnoses Economic Paradox -Says Somebody Not Telling Government Truth

MONROVIA – Liberia’s numbers look healthy, but its kitchens tell another story. Senator Amara M. Konneh calls it a “glaring economic paradox.” Inflation is down, the Liberian dollar is steadier and revenue is growing. Yet prices refuse to fall for the market woman and her customers. The former Finance Minister traces much of the gap to the Freeport of Monrovia. There, up to nine separate fees inflate the cost of every container before it reaches Waterside. His critique also carries a political warning for the Unity Party government. Somebody, he says, is not telling the President the truth. As THE ANALYST reports, the Senate probe now is to likely test whether oversight can turn good statistics into cheaper rice.

Gbarpolu County Senator and former Finance Minister Amara M. Konneh has issued a comprehensive assessment of Liberia’s economy, diagnosing a sharp disconnect between positive macroeconomic indicators and the daily financial struggles of ordinary citizens.

Speaking first at the Center for the Exchange of Intellectual Opinions (CEIO) on Carey Street and subsequently leading a Senate Plenary probe involving key cabinet ministers, revenue officials, and port operators, Senator Konneh urged both the Executive and Legislative branches to move beyond paper statistics and implement practical structural reforms.

Diagnosing the Economic Paradox

Evaluating the country’s economic trajectory, Senator Konneh acknowledged that macroeconomic trends under President Joseph Nyuma Boakai have shown consolidation. Inflation has dropped to single digits, foreign exchange rates have stabilized with a stronger Liberian dollar, and revenue growth remains resilient under a historic US$1.2 billion (L$218.83 billion) national budget.

However, Konneh highlighted what he termed a “glaring economic paradox”: while national indicators reflect strength, household hardship remains pervasive because commodity prices are “stuck in transition” and declining too slowly.

Citing street-level interactions, he noted that despite government subsidies on essential items like rice through duty waivers, poor communication and market friction prevent price relief from reaching ordinary consumers. Relaying a poignant exchange with a market woman, Konneh observed, “The lady while comparing the two regimes said that though the price of rice has decreased under the UP regime, under Weah when it was higher, the people could find the money to buy, not now.”

Addressing political history, Konneh reflected on the political decline of the previous Congress for Democratic Change (CDC) administration, noting that unresolved governance lapses, reserve pressures, and unanswered questions around auditor deaths eroded public trust early on.

“The opposition then led by the UP was alleging corruption, the death of auditors, the head of IAA died, boom, I mean things were just happening in here, the opposition took that to them and against the government,” Konneh recalled.

He called on the current Ministry of Justice to resolve these outstanding cases, asserting, “The auditors should not die in vain,” while cautioning the Unity Party (UP)-led government that internal truth-telling is vital for sustained public confidence: “There is a governance issue, and to put it simply, somebody is not telling government truth and the people are complaining. The last time I checked, on the UP ticket, there were two persons on the ballot, the president and the vice president, somebody is not telling them the truth.”

Furthermore, Senator Konneh cautioned that macroeconomic stability risks becoming a hollow metric if it does not directly translate into affordable food, accessible healthcare, and reduced transportation costs for urban and rural families alike.

He argued that paper prosperity often breeds public cynicism, especially when citizens see expanding national budgets alongside dwindling personal purchasing power.

To prevent this growing sense of disillusionment, he urged policy architects to evaluate economic success through the lens of household bread-and-butter issues rather than relying solely on abstract statistical spreadsheets.

Port Bottlenecks and Multi-Fee Regimes

At the center of Senator Konneh’s critique, and the primary driver behind the Senate’s legislative summons, are severe operational bottlenecks at the Freeport of Monrovia and Roberts International Airport (RIA).

Presenting empirical data before the Senate Plenary, Konneh revealed that logistics costs have surged dramatically. A standard 20-foot container shipped from China to Monrovia, which previously cost importers around US$2,800 (L$510,608), now incurs an additional US$1,900 (L$346,484) in local handling charges before leaving the port gate, bringing the total landing cost to US$4,700 (L$857,092) before reaching retail shops in Waterside.

Konneh attributed these escalating costs to space constraints at APM Terminals, delayed port dredging that prevents larger vessels from berthing, and a regime of up to nine separate fees imposed by various entities, including MedTech Scientific Limited, Global Tracking and Maritime Solutions (GTMS/CTN), the National Port Authority (NPA), and APM Terminals.

“There are multiple taxations or fees at the port, we have APM Terminal fees, we have MedTech fees, we have the NPA fees, about eight different fees and then you have to pay the shipping companies for the containers, that makes it nine different kinds of fees,” Konneh stated.

He warned that importers pass these cumulative fees directly onto retail consumers, driving up market prices: “Goods meant to be sold in Liberia for $1,000 now are sold for $1,800 because no one wants to trade in losses.” He added that without resolving these logistical blockages, “if we kill 1,000 cows to make sacrifice to God to judgment day, nothing will change here.”

He elaborated that the compounding nature of these shipping fees creates a ruinous trickle-down effect throughout Liberia’s entire supply chain, hitting micro-entrepreneurs and informal market women hardest.

When importers are forced to absorb months of container demurrage and administrative surcharges, retail vendors in markets like Red Light, Duala, and Gobachop have no choice but to adjust prices upward just to break even. This compounding cost structure ultimately punishes the final consumer, creating artificial inflation that negates any benefits gained from a strengthened Liberian dollar.

Three Strategic Pillars for Relief

To ensure that the national budget and economic recovery deliver tangible benefits to everyday Liberians, Senator Konneh outlined three strategic pillars for action. First, the government must seamlessly integrate Liberia into international commerce through logistical efficiency by streamlining seaport and airport clearance operations, eliminating redundant fees, and holding internal actors accountable to ensure cargo moves smoothly into the country.

Second, the administration must maintain sound fiscal policies and market interventions by preserving fiscal discipline and revenue momentum, praising Finance Minister Augustine Kpehe Ngafuan and Central Bank of Liberia (CBL) Governor Henry Saamoi, while introducing targeted sector-level interventions to curb market price gouging.

On the third recommendation, Konneh asserted that the state must strengthen institutional governance and the rule of law to restore public trust in the justice system.

Expressing concern over the state’s frequent legal losses in court, Konneh remarked, “Anytime the government goes to court, it loses the case… Anytime we take a case to court, we lose. When we find it difficult to win the case, then we go short cut to make it our way.”

He insisted that an independent judiciary and a predictable investment climate are essential for long-term national stability.

In his concluding remarks, Senator Konneh stressed that achieving true economic transformation requires an unyielding commitment to public transparency and inter-institutional synergy between regulatory bodies and private port handlers. He emphasized that Liberia cannot build a competitive market economy if state agencies operate in silos or prioritize revenue collection over market liquidity and consumer protection. By aligning trade facilitation, judicial fairness, and fiscal discipline into a single national strategy, the lawmaker maintained that Liberia can dismantle systemic trade barriers and ensure that its historic budget yields lasting, tangible prosperity for all citizens.

Reflecting on his past tenure as Finance Minister a decade ago, Konneh noted that while Liberia’s current institutional capacity, national budget, physical infrastructure, and public transparency far exceed the past, governance frameworks must evolve:

“The infrastructure, capacity, knowledge, and openness today far exceed the past; solutions must match current dynamics,” he said.

He also commended Senate President Pro Tempore Nyonblee Karnga-Lawrence and his legislative colleagues for expanding the Senate’s oversight mandate to tackle port inefficiencies and provide direct economic relief to the Liberian people.