Committed Foreign Investors Must Be Protected, If Liberia Must Have A Conducive Investment Environment
THIS WEEK, THE management of GNN Liberia is constrained to publicly address the issue of protecting the country’s partners-in-progress, our committed investors, who have shown confidence in our post-war economy by selecting to venture in the investment climate of the country.
IN RECENT PAST, we have witnessed a number protests at concessional areas, with Liberians who make up the workforce voicing their displeasure over unfavorable working conditions. Most of these protest actions have been chaotic, resulting to destruction of properties worth millions of United States Dollars by ‘aggrieved employees’ of these concessions.
AMONGST CONCESSIONAL AREAS affected by such uprising is the Bea Mountain Mining Company (BMMC) situated in western Liberia, specifically in Grand Cape and Bomi counties, where during the protest action, millions of dollars’ worth of equipment and structures were uncompromisingly destroyed by people believed to be employees of the company.
THIS ACT ON the part of employees, by taking the law into their hands, is not healthy for the growth and development of the economy; this action usually paralyses economic progress and stalls the momentum towards developing and improving the livelihood of citizens in a bid for better living conditions through these foreign owned investments.
WE WILL LIKE to urge all Liberians who have the opportunity to be employed with these foreign owned investments to avoid creating situations that have the proclivity to scare away investors; it is better to rather channel their grievances through authorities of the Ministry of Labor for a redress.
IT CAN BE recalled, that in late February this year, some citizens and other residents from outside of the county, Grand Cape Mount, organized and carried out a violent protest at Bea Mountain Mining Company which led to the death of three persons, according to police report. The protest also resulted to the burning of several earth moving equipment of the company.
THE PROTESTORS ALSO demanded the immediate and unconditional removal of the company’s Country Manager, who is a Liberian citizen and hails from Grand Bassa, to be replaced with another citizen, Sando Whyen, who hails from the concessional host county of Grand Cape Mount. Mr. Whyne who once worked for the company, and reportedly resigned due to what was only described as administrative reasons. However, the workers’ union of the company are demanding the CEO of BMMC to dismiss the current Country Manager because, according to them, he is not in the interest of the workers.
ONCE AGAIN WE want to urge all members the Liberian workforce to help protect our foreign owned investments for the betterment of all Liberians.
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