Liberia rubber transshipment ban sparks stakeholder complaints

Liberian stakeholders in the shipping and logistics sectors are calling on President Joseph Boakai to reconsider Executive Order No. 166, which prohibits the transshipment of various forms of unprocessed natural rubber. The government maintains that the order aims to drive domestic industrialization, increase revenue, and encourage value addition within Liberia.

However, truckers and shipping stakeholders report that the policy has negatively impacted the movement of rubber originating from Guinea through the Port of Monrovia. Layee Sheriff of the Truckers Union Association of Liberia stated that the restrictions have led to a decline in export-related business. Stakeholders claim the Guinea-to-Liberia rubber transit trade previously moved between 100 and 150 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) per month, and they report that cargo volumes have dropped since the order took effect, leaving some transport operators with fewer loads.