A Verity News investigation has revealed that three Indian nationals have established and are actively operating a car wash business, Morden Car Wash (MCF), in Mount Barclay, Liberia.
This development stands in direct violation of the country’s Liberianization Policy, which reserves specific sectors of the economy exclusively for Liberian citizens.
The illegal operation came to light after a video surfaced showing one of the Indian nationals personally washing a car, an act explicitly prohibited for non-Liberians under existing economic laws.
The footage quickly went viral, triggering public outrage and raising serious concerns about government inaction and regulatory lapses.
What the Law Says
Liberia’s Liberianization Policy, first enacted in 1975 and expanded in 1998, was designed to empower indigenous Liberians by ring-fencing 26 key sectors of the economy.
These include:
Car washing
Block making
Gas station operations
Peddling
Ice cream manufacturing
…among others.
The policy clearly reserves car washing services for Liberians only, in an effort to promote local entrepreneurship and curb economic marginalization.
“This is not just a simple violation; it’s a slap in the face of the Liberian people. The fact that foreign nationals are engaging in activities clearly reserved for Liberians shows the weakness in the enforcement of our own laws,” said one local economic analyst.
Policy Goals vs. Reality
Beyond sector restrictions, the Liberianization Policy also mandates that foreign-owned businesses:
Hire and train Liberians at all operational levels;
Source raw materials locally, wherever possible;
And in some cases, offer equity participation to Liberians.
Despite these well-intentioned provisions, implementation remains weak and inconsistent.
Many foreign nationals continue to operate businesses in restricted sectors through informal or undocumented arrangements, making enforcement difficult.
Why Enforcement Fails
Experts and critics point to a lack of institutional capacity and political will as key reasons for the policy’s failure.
Additionally, many Liberians lack the vocational training, technical skills, and financial support necessary to effectively compete with better-funded foreign businesses.
As a result, the very people the policy aims to protect are often excluded from economic opportunities that legally belong to them.
Community Demands Swift Action
In response to the Mount Barclay incident, local residents are now calling on the Ministry of Commerce and Industry and the Liberia Immigration Service to take immediate and decisive action.
Community leaders stress that symbolic enforcement is not enough. They are demanding a broader government crackdown on illegal foreign operations in protected sectors, and meaningful support for Liberian entrepreneurs.
Analysts warn that unless the government addresses these violations with strong enforcement and targeted support for local businesses, the vision of a Liberian-owned economy will remain elusive.
Without urgent reforms, incidents like the Mount Barclay car wash may become the norm, eroding public trust and undermining the purpose of the Liberianization Policy itself.
