The Forestry Development Authority (FDA) played a role in an illegal logging operation in Nimba County, with Managing Director Rudolph Merab bypassing legal procedures to authorize Westwood Corporation, according to an investigation by The DayLight.
Westwood Corporation, a company with no prior logging credentials, illegally harvested timber beyond its designated area within the Gba Community Forest, located in Yarmein and Sanniquillie-Mahn Districts.
In 2016, the Gba community received US$150,000 from ArcelorMittal Liberia under a memorandum of understanding to clear 450 acres of rocky land for a mine waste plant.
After mismanaging the funds, the community repeatedly turned to various logging companies to do the work, but those efforts failed over eight years-until January of this year when Gba contracted Westwood, a firm better known for road construction. The agreement also gave Westwood rights to previously abandoned logs within the broader 11,538-hectare forest.
Shortly after the agreement, Westwood began logging and exported 216 logs-equaling 921.124 cubic meters-in two shipments in March, FDA export data shows. The DayLight’s initial reporting uncovered multiple irregularities: the logging contract didn’t meet legal forestry standards, and the logs were exported to Europe in violation of Liberia’s timber trade agreement with the European Union.
Now, new findings reveal more serious breaches. Using geolocation data and photos of logged stumps tagged by Westwood, The DayLight confirmed that trees were felled outside the approved area, with a clear focus on valuable, first-class species like ekki and niangon-matching the species in the exported shipments.
Reporters also found that Westwood constructed a dirt road inside the forest to access these logs.
Although the total number of illegally harvested logs remains unclear, The DayLight estimates that around 250 high-value logs were cut near Makingo Town. Locals and community leaders were reportedly aware of the unauthorized activity.
“They went to Gbarpa, where they were not sent, and cut logs,” said Paul Gahnto, assistant youth chairman of Sehyi-Geh Town.
The environmental damage adds to Nimba’s worsening deforestation crisis. Between 2002 and 2024, the county lost 393,000 hectares of tree cover, second only to Bong County’s 434,000 hectares, according to Global Forest Watch.
Threat to a World Heritage Region
The illegal logging undermines global conservation efforts. Gba and surrounding community forests-Blei, Sehyi-Ko-doo, and Zor-form a natural buffer to the East Nimba Nature Reserve, a section of the UNESCO-listed Nimba Mountains that stretch across Liberia, Guinea, and Ivory Coast.
The area is home to rare and endangered species, including the Nimba flycatcher and the Nimba toad.
Because of the region’s ecological significance, the Liberian government and ArcelorMittal signed conservation agreements with local communities, providing monthly stipends for forest guards and supporting reforestation efforts. Gba’s conservation work has also been supported by USAID, the United States Forest Service, and, more recently, the Liberian NGO Social Entrepreneurs for Sustainable Development (SESDev).
Westwood is just the latest in a series of companies contracted by Gba to clear the 450-acre plot. In 2016, LTTC Thanry failed to complete the job, and a 2021 effort by Six S International also collapsed. Before these attempts, the FDA revoked Gba’s forest status in 2014 due to administrative errors after mistakenly combining it with the Zor forest.
FDA’s Lax Oversight
Instead of following established logging procedures-such as pre-harvest tree mapping and field monitoring by FDA officials-Managing Director Rudolph Merab approved Westwood’s operations via a letter that sidestepped critical legal steps.
“You are hereby granted approval to commence operation in the Gba Community Forest,” Merab wrote. He further instructed Westwood to tag standing trees on its own, despite the high risk of abuse.
This marked a significant drop in regulatory standards compared to Merab’s predecessor, Mike Doryen, who, despite a troubled tenure, insisted companies in Gba follow proper logging protocols.
Further compounding the issue, FDA failed to verify Westwood’s legal status. The company’s articles of incorporation do not disclose its shareholders and contain only two sections—Articles me and III— violating Liberia’s Beneficial Ownership Regulation. This rule, which also applies to forestry contracts, is designed to prevent conflicts of interest and ensure responsible ownership of companies exploiting natural resources.
Neither FDA officials nor Westwood’s owner, Samuel Cooper, responded to inquiries. Though the FDA launched an investigation following The DayLight’s initial report, no findings have been released months later.
Under Liberian law, harvesting timber outside an authorized area is a crime, punishable by fines, imprisonment, and other penalties.
Nyan Flomo, now leading Gba following the death of its head, Samuel Johnson, in March, said the community still awaits FDA’s conclusions.
“What we heard is that the FDA will investigate, declare the logs abandoned, auction them, and return the benefits to the community,” said Flomo, who had initially supported Westwood and criticized The DayLight’s reporting. “We are still waiting for the official results.”
Credit: This report was originally authored by Esau Farr and James Flomo of The Daylight.
