Liberian businesses are increasingly finding themselves caught between two pressures: what business operators describe as burdensome government charges and the growing dominance of foreign-owned enterprises across key sectors of the economy.
The issue came into sharp focus after Trade Union Congress of Liberia Chairman Dominic Nimely warned that Liberian business owners could resort to xenophobic attacks against foreign-owned businesses if the government fails to address what he described as longstanding discrimination against local entrepreneurs.
Nimely accused the government of creating an uneven playing field, alleging that Liberian businesses face higher interest rates, limited access to commercial credit and what he described as excessive charges at the ports.
At the same time, he accused foreign-owned businesses operated by Lebanese, Indian, Chinese and other nationals of expanding aggressively across Liberia’s commercial landscape.
According to Nimely, some foreign businesses are not only involved in wholesale and retail activities but are also extending credit to customers through the “Seh-Pay” system while operating across production, distribution and other parts of the supply chain.
He argued that the concentration of foreign businesses at multiple levels of the economy is making it increasingly difficult for Liberian-owned enterprises to compete.
“We are tired of begging and protesting,” Nimely said, warning that business owners may have “no alternative but to revert to xenophobic attacks” if their concerns remain unresolved.
