Sawmill Pollutes Buchanan Neighborhood

November 11, 2025

Top: Smoke billows from a sawmill operated by Krish Veneer Industries Incorporated in New Buchanan, Grand Bassa County. The DayLight/James Giahyue

By Emmanuel Sherman

Residents in communities affected by Krish Veneer Industries’ sawmill in New Buchanan, Grand Bassa County, complain of daily noise and air pollution

Krish’s environmental permit requires a 50-meter distance from any residence. However, satellite imagery shows several homes much closer to the facility.

An independent verifier finds Krish complies with its environmental permit, but inconsistencies undermine findings.

The evidence establishes that the verifier doctored the report, covering up the sawmill’s pollution trail.

NEW BUCHANAN, Grand Bassa County – Seedaye Mingo, a grandmother in her 60s, sits and washes in front of her house, just a few yards from a large sawmill. For her, living near the sawmill, a fresh breeze has become a distant memory.

“The smoke can be black,” Mingo said. “It can smell.”

Mingo is one of several residents in five communities in New Buchanan, Lower Hardlandsville, who are impacted by the sawmill. Residents say they are experiencing some of these health issues. They complain of nonstop chainsaw buzzing and rattling from morning to evening, and smoke from the factory’s huge chimney clouds the entire area, covering everything. A video, shot by one resident, shows smoke billowing from the sawmill into the community.

Krish Veneer Industries, an Indian-owned company, runs the gigantic sawmill. Established in 2019, Krish produces and exports timbers, plywood, and veneer, a decorative wooden material. It has a workforce of 300 people and processes between 25,000 and 27,000 cubic meters of wood yearly. It was dedicated last May by Vice President Jeremiah Koung, which is likely the largest sawmill in the country.

Krish’s environmental permit requires the sawmill to be at least 50 meters away from any residence to prevent pollution. However, satellite imagery, analyzed by Nerisa Group of Companies, a DayLight affiliate, shows that several homes are just a few meters from the facility.

This indicates that residents such as Mingo are exposed to noise and invisible particles suspended in the air. Noise exposure, scientists warn, can cause high blood pressure, heart disease, sleep disturbances, and stress. Similarly, suspended particles can lead to heart and lung diseases in people, and impair visibility, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

“The smoke is getting us blind and making our children sick,” says Junior Toe, a resident of Peace community, which hosts the sawmill.

“The pollution is a serious problem. The smoke affects not only adults but also children,” said Pastor Charles Gray of Success Community.

Daniel Larwubah, EPA Grand Bassa County Coordinator, said the agency needed to conduct a study to confirm the community’s concerns. He says he will inform the head office in Monrovia to send a team to the area.

The sawmill also poses a more direct threat to residents. Last year, ashes from the flames transferred to Pastor Gray’s makeshift house. Fortunately for him, neighbors ran to his rescue and cut off the fire.

On another occasion, flames from burning wood waste caught a resident’s clothes just outside the facility.

“I decided to take the clothes from the sun, but the flames from the fire in the fence had already burned the shirt,” says Beatrice Jacobs. Paul Harris, the chairman of Prosser, and other residents, corroborate Jacobs’ story.

November 11 2025 — A map showing several residences less than 50 meters away from Krish Veneer Industries, a violation of the sawmill’s environmental permit. Nerisa Group of Companies for The DayLight

After those incidents, the community wrote Krish in January last year, complaining about the danger the sawmill posed to the neighborhood, but got no reply. Harris says they also wrote to the Environmental Protection Agency of Liberia’s Buchanan office, but also got no reply.

So, in June that year, residents complained to the Office of the Superintendent of Grand Bassa County. Before her death, Superintendent Julia Bono held a conference between the community and Krish in June, a Ministry of Internal Affairs document shows.

In the meeting, the late Bono asked the company to find somewhere else to dispose of its waste, according to Harris. She died that November. However, Krish obeyed and stopped burning its wood wastes in the open. The DayLight observed that following several visits there, it remains the case.

A Krish contractor, who asked not to be named because he was unauthorized to speak, confirmed the change. “We use matches to light the fire and put big wood in the oven. The fire would burn throughout the day from 8 am to 8 pm,” he tells this reporter.

Larwubah admits to discussing with Harris about Krish. However, he denies receiving any communication, though the community mentioned that in their letter to the Office of the Superintendent.

Krish did not reply emailed questions on The DayLight’s findings and the residents’ allegations. The newspaper contacted a Krish executive, but he hung up the phone once this reporter introduced himself.

Inconsistencies

The EPA of Liberia certifies independent firms to conduct an environmental audit to find out whether the project complies with legal requirements. By law, the regulator fines a company that violates its permit provisions, based on the audit’s findings.

Smoking Krish — Smoke chimney mounted on top of the building, in the saw mill compound. Emmanuel Sherman/The DayLight

In Krish’s case, the Monrovia-based Environmental Consultancy Incorporated (ENCO) conducted the audit of the sawmill.

“Krish Veneer Industry is operating in a very effective and proficient manner in safeguarding the environment and its workforce…,” the audit report reads.

But residents dismiss those findings, saying they are unaware that ENCO conducted an environmental audit on the sawmill.

“Nothing of such,” says Joshua Howard, a spokesperson for the community. “They never came here in the community.”

ENCO determined Krish was “compliant” with the 50-meter provision. It established that the facility was a “well contained and [fenced].”

The satellite imagery, however, shows several homes just a few meters away from the sawmill’s fence, some 11, 12, 16 and 22 meters close to the facility. This evidence supports residents’ stories of flames from the company’s yard ending up on their premises next door.

Also, ENCO found that Krish did not employ an officer to handle community complaints in line with its environmental permit. Yet, ENCO marked Krish “compliant” in that area, an inconsistency.

The DayLight found other inconsistencies in the environmental audit report. ENCO reports that Krish respected cultural and historical sites, even though there are none in the community.

It found that Krish’s raw materials were from “outgrown rubber trees,” and that the community was forested. In reality, New Buchanan, where the sawmill sits, does not have a forest. Instead, it is one of the fastest-growing suburban communities with mushrooming homes and businesses on the Buchanan-River Cess highway.

Screen Shot 2025 10 24 at 7.46.43 PM — A screenshot of Krish Veneer Industries shows findings inconsistent with scientific evidence gathered with the aid of satellite imagery.

ENCO misplaces its recommendations for finding in the “noise pollution” and “air quality control” portion of the report. It also mistakes findings for recommendations.

These inconsistencies, along with residents allegedly not partaking in the audit, prove that ENCO doctored the report, covering up Krish’s noncompliance.

The evidence indicates ENCO copied details from a 2024 report it had compiled for C&C Corporation (CCC) on the Mavasagueh Community Forest in Compound Two, about a 30-minute drive away. Interestingly, CCC supplies Krish with logs, and both companies have the same general manager, Clarence Massaquoi.

The CCC report was as problematic as the Krish audit report. While assessing potential impacts of CCC’s operations, it consulted only 24 of 39 affected communities.

Townspeople would protest their exclusion, leading to fresh elections that ultimately incorporated the 15 towns and villages left out.

ENCO did not reply to emailed questions, and when contacted, declined to speak to The DayLight.

“Go and ask the EPA,” said James B. Konowa, ENCO’s lead environmental auditor, who is a mining engineer. “We are accountable to them, not to you.”

Integrity Watch Liberia provided funding for this story. The DayLight maintained complete editorial independence over its content.

Sand Mining Drowning Fisherfolk in Poverty

November 7, 2025

Top: Empty nets and canoes on the banks of the St. Paul River in Caldwell. The DayLight/Carlucci Cooper

By Carlucci Cooper

ST. PAUL BRIDGE – On the banks of the St. Paul River in Montserrado County, the day starts early. Paddles slicing through the water as fishermen set out before sunrise. For generations, the people along this river have survived on fishing.

But their way of life is fading away.

Where once nets came back filled with fish, now they return almost empty. Children wait on the shore for fathers whose catch can no longer feed them. The silence of empty boats has replaced the laughter that once echoed along the riverbanks.

For Roosevelt Kollie, a fisherman from St. Paul Bridge, a suburb outside Monrovia, who has fished here for over 40 years, the change is personal and painful.

“I have been fishing on this river for more than 30 years, but since companies started mining sand on the river, the fish migrated,” says Kollie. “Places where we used to catch huge quantities are now empty. The river is dying, and so is our livelihood.”

In the last decade or so, fishers like Kollie have seen their catches vanish after several companies began mining sands on the St. Paul River. This is not only changing their way of life but also drowning the fishing community in poverty.

Since 2011, the Ministry of Mines has issued 89 sand mining licenses for rivers and beaches across Liberia, including one that was issued on the 30^th of October, official records show. Nineteen of those licenses were awarded for the St. Paul River, with seven currently active. Most of the licenses came after the Liberian government banned beach sand mining in 2012. The move was meant to curb coastal erosion. However, experts say it has piled pressure on rivers, hampering fishing.

Inland fishery plays a crucial role in sustaining rural life across Liberia. While ocean fisheries often take center stage, rivers, lakes, and wetlands are essential to thousands of families. A 2017 report estimated that 1,460 people engaged in inland fisheries, and the subsector produced 25 percent of the fish for rural communities.

“Fish depend on the riverbed for food. When sand is mined, it destroys their habitat and forces them to migrate into the sea,” says Dr. Eugene Shannon, former Minister of Mines and Energy. “Sometimes they return, and sometimes they’re killed by strong ocean currents. It’s not just bad for the river, it’s devastating for the people who depend on it.”

“[Sand mining] disrupts spawning and nursery grounds and leads to sedimentation, which reduces water quality and oxygen levels,” adds Ahmed Sherf, Director for Environment and Climate Change with the National Fisheries and Aquaculture Authority (NaFAA). He adds that sand mining damages mangroves, which serve as breeding and feeding grounds for various fish species.

Fishermen know this all too well.

‘’When it rains, my home leaks like outside. My children hold their books so they don’t get wet. Some days they get ready for school, but have to stay home because I can’t afford their remaining school fees,’’ says 42-year-old fisherman, Francis Wreh.

DJI 0313 — A drone shot of the St. Paul Bridge, after which the fisherfolk community bears its name. The DayLight/Carlucci Cooper

“I go to the river hoping to catch fish to sustain us, but the nets come out nearly empty, only enough to feed us.”

Hopeful, 38-year-old Archie Benson rests on a pile of sand, watching trucks pull away from the riverbank. Not long ago, he would have been pushing a canoe at this hour, nets twisted at his feet. Today, those nets sit dry behind his house. Construction works have replaced fishing, and each load of sand he helps remove feels like another piece of the river slipping away.

“I grew up on this river. Fishing was all I knew. But now I dig sand for construction from the same water that fed us. I feel like I’m undermining my own history, but my family has to survive,” explains Archie Benson, a fisherman-turned-construction-worker.

Fishmongers, too, are bearing the brunt of sand mining. For 36-year-old Tete Wilson, the market no longer echoes with fishermen calling her name. All that is left are empty tubs and tables.

“We used to sit here, and fishermen would bring fish every day, but nowadays we go chasing after them and usually come back with nothing. The fishermen themselves are crying that the water is mean,” says Wilson.

Some fishmongers travel far from St. Paul Bridge just to keep their stalls stocked. Cynthia Nagbe, 29, wakes up before sunrise, boards a taxi to reach beaches in Marshall, Margibi and sometimes Robertsport, Cape Mount, in search of fish. The journey cost her more, but she has little choice if she wants to keep her customers.

A truck collecting sand on the Roberts International Airport highway in 2021. The DayLight/Harry Browne

‘Stop river sand mining’

Sand mining in the St. Paul River might have intensified 13 years ago. However, the river’s profile suggests it would remain a goldmine for the construction industry. One of Liberia’s six largest rivers, the St. Paul flows from Guinea through Liberia into the Atlantic Ocean, spanning 301 miles. A 1963 report found that the mineral is in “unlimited quantities” in the St. Paul Bridge region.

Now, mining sand from the river best explains why fish die or migrate from the area. It works by pumping a mixture of sand and water through long pipelines, using high pressure to extract sediments from the riverbed. The dredged sand is piled in a location where it is separated from the water. The water is then allowed to flow back into the river, degrading that entire ecosystem.

It gets even worse if you add rising temperatures, changing rainfall patterns, according to a 2017 climate risk profile of Liberia, and overfishing, a lack of canoe-landing sites and storage facilities, according to Sherf.

Sherf says NaFAA is partnering with the Ministry of Mines and Energy and other institutions to meet these challenges and improve fisheries. He recommends the setting up of no-mining zones near critical habitats, enforcing regulations, and promoting alternative construction materials.

Fisherfolk demand these actions now.

“We need the government to either stop river sand mining or enact laws that will protect our river. If we don’t take action, we’ll lose everything: our river, our fish, and our hustle,” says Pious Johnson, a fishmonger in St. Paul Bridge.

“We want the government to act. We survive by this river, so we’re appealing for help,” says Thomas Kollie, a fishmonger.

WhatsApp Image 2025 11 07 at 14.18.24 — Annie William, a fishmonger, sits in Sinkor. The DayLight/Carlucci Cooper

The Ministry of Mines insists that companies mining sand on the St. Paul are legal and have the right to be there.

“River sand mining is legal once you have documents that qualify you to operate with a… license, and you pay your taxes,” says Agatius Coker, Mining Inspector. “That’s why we conduct periodic compliance and enforcement with these companies to ensure environmental safety.”

Coker’s comments are largely unfounded. A 2022 General Auditing Commission report revealed that Liberia’s sand mining industry is largely unregulated, with weak oversight and illegal operations.

The report calls for “comprehensive policies, rules, or regulations that are specific to the governance of river sand mining. It found one company operated in Montserrado and Bong Counties without a license, while another abused its prospecting license. It also found that field inspectors did not regularly monitor and report on companies’ operations.

It says, “[The Ministry of Mines] should review the licenses and operations of all companies mining in the St. Paul River and assess the impact of their activities, cancelling and relocating mines that are causing greater environmental degradation.”

Integrity Watch Liberia provided funding for this story. The DayLight maintained complete editorial independence over the story’s content.

Land Authority Boss Violated Moratorium and Broke Laws, Probe Finds

November 5, 2025

Top: The Chairman of the Land Authority, Samuel Kpakio, illegally signed a deed as part of a fraudulent cocoa agreement between Grand Gedeh County and a Burkinabé businessman. Filed picture/Liberia Land Authority

By James Harding Giahyue and Varney Kamara

The Chairman of the Liberia Land Authority, Samuel Kpakio, signed a deed for a 500-acre cocoa farmland in Grand Gedeh County, violating a moratorium that President Joseph Boakai pronounced in the State of the Nation Address.

The transaction was a part of a fraudulent agreement between Grand Gedeh County and a Burkinabé cocoa farmer, which, authorities say, has been terminated

The surveyor who surveyed the land is unauthorized to conduct a government survey. Mr. Kpakio even signed the deed before the surveyor completed his work.

The survey was secretly conducted, and there was no record that the land was put out for competitive bidding as required by law

The deed was issued to an unlawful, inexistent recipient

MONROVIA – Over the weekend, the Liberia Land Authority said Grand Gedeh County Superintendent Alex Grant “misled” it in a fraudulent cocoa farming agreement with a Burkinabé businessman. The 30-year deal, worth US$600,000, has been canceled, according to county officials.

“The Superintendent and the County Land Administrator of Grand Gedeh misled the … [Land Authority] during the issuance and signing of the said deed, thereby bypassing established procedures and guidelines required for granting a development grant deed,” the Land Authority said in a statement. It provided no evidence to back that claim.

The Land Authority revoked the deed and suspended two staffers in its Grand Gedeh Office in connection with a deal that targeted 500 acres of ancestral land in the B’hai District. It said it was investigating Paye Freeman, the County Land Administrator, and David Togbasie, Land Dispute Officer. The two men would not speak on the matter.

But a DayLight investigation has uncovered that the Chairman of the Land Authority, Samuel Kpakio, masterminded the deal. Government documents and interviews with officials revealed that Kpakio violated a moratorium to support the agreement. The Land Authority boss utilized an unauthorized surveyor and skipped the legal processes, as mentioned in the weekend press release. The deed was even intended for an unlawful recipient.

The DayLight obtained the deed in question for the 500 acres and observed several issues with the document.

First, Kpakio signed the deed on July 8, 2025, when the moratorium on public land sale was active. The moratorium was issued last year and announced by President Joseph Boakai during this year’s State of the Nation Address, pending the creation of guidelines to prevent land-grabbing.

“These efforts aim to enhance tenure security, resolve conflicts, and promote sustainable land investment throughout Liberia,” the President said. It was lifted on July 31, 2025, twenty-three days after Kpakio signed the deed.

In Friday’s press release, the Land Authority detailed the accusations against Mr. Grant, citing provisions in the Land Rights Act he had allegedly violated. However, the institution glossed over its own actions and inactions, failing to say why it suspended the staffers. This concealed Kpakio’s role in the scandal, while shifting blame to Grant, Freeman, and Togbasie.

While Freeman and Togbasie’s roles in the scam are unclear, the evidence establishes Mr. Grant’s wrongdoing: not obtaining the community people’s consent. However, Mr. Kpakio’s blame game contradicts his position as head of the Land Authority.

Mr. Kpakio is no stranger to land matters. Before being appointed Chairman of the Land Authority, Mr. Kpakio served as director of land use planning and management with “distinction,” according to the institution’s website. Moreover, the Liberia Land Authority was established as a “one-stop shop” for land transactions countrywide, not the Office of the Superintendent.

The DayLight caught up with Mr. Grant in Paynesville on Saturday, but he declined an interview. However, he had admitted to his wrongdoing before canceling the agreement.

“I regret that the locals were not informed by the district’s authorities. I think is a procedural error,” Grant told a team of reporters in an interview in Zwedru City. “Once they don’t agree, and we agreed, we can both come to the negotiation table and have a conversation around it.”

WhatsApp Image 2025 11 02 at 14.23.05 — A copy of a fraudulent deed bearing the signature of the Land Authority’s Chairman, Samuel Kpakio

Second, The DayLight also observed another irregularity with the deed Kpakio signed that has nothing to do with Grant. David Sluwar, a licensed private surveyor, had surveyed the land and signed the document, a red flag, the surveyor’s roster shows. A private land surveyor does not survey a government plot; there are 56 government surveyors registered to do this job.

People familiar with public land procedures and processes believe Sluwar played a crucial part in the scandal. “No government surveyor could have signed that deal,” said one official, who asked not to be named over fear of retribution.

There is another issue regarding Mr. Sluwar, though. Mr. Kpakio signed the deed before the private land surveyor completed the survey, another red flag. The document shows that Mr. Sluwar signed it on July 10, two days after Mr. Kpakio. In normal land transactions, the Chairman of the Land Authority signs a deed after the survey is completed, not before.

Furthermore, details of the survey were not published in line with the Land Rights Regulation. The 2022 instrument calls for published details of a government land survey to be published in a government gazette, in at least two newspapers and radio stations, in local languages.

The regulation also requires the Land Authority to publish a survey notice for at least one month. Like the details, there is no record that a survey notice was published.

WhatsApp Image 2025 11 02 at 14.23.06 — The Chairman of the Land Authority, Samuel Kpakio, signed the deed before the survey was completed.

Efforts to get Sluwar’s side of the story did not materialize. His mobile phone number was switched off on Sunday and Monday, and he did not respond to text messages. The DayLight has contacted the Surveyor Licensing and Registration Board about Mr. Sluwar’s role in the scandal.

Third, The DayLight gathered evidence that the Land Authority did not vet the land in question before Kpakio signed the deed. Normally, its vetting department verifies whether there are issues.

Failure to verify explains why the agency did not identify that the 500 acres were customary land. The land, located on the Liberia-Ivory Coast border, was unused because it is a far-to-reach area. However, the plot is easily accessible from the Ivorian side.

Fourth, there is no record that the land in question was put out for a competitive bidding process as mandated by the Land Rights Act.

The newspaper observed one more inconsistency. The deed was granted to the Grand Gedeh Local Government Reserved Farmland, which does not exist. A development grant deed is not awarded to a farmland. Rather, it is issued to a person, an institution, an NGO, or any legal entity. In fact, such a deed is so delicate that the new guidelines require the signatures of three commissioners.

Mr. Kpakio evaded all The DayLight’s efforts for an interview. He did not respond to detailed questions on WhatsApp on Sunday and directly to his office on Monday. He also declined an interview on Tuesday and was unavailable on Wednesday.

Regardless, Mr. Kpakio’s well-documented actions contradict his induction speech in February, in which he spoke about reforming the Land Authority.

“There will be no room for unethical and unprofessional conduct, both in administration and in our interactions with our development partners and the Liberian public,” said Kpakio.

“The Liberia Land Authority will operate differently this time. Our work will be grounded in our core values: quality service delivery, transparency, fairness, accountability, integrity, professionalism, and respect.”

[Additional reporting by Paul Rancy in Zwedru, Grand Gedeh County]

Integrity Watch Liberia provided funding for this story. The DayLight maintained complete editorial independence of its content.

Justice Ministry Receives ‘Forest Bibles’ To Prosecute Crimes

October 31, 2025

Justice Minister Oswald Tweh Receives the forest bible from MFGAP’s Team Lead Letla Mosenene. The DayLight/Harry Browne

By Varney Kamara

MONROVIA – The Ministry of Justice has received 150 copies of the “forest bible,” a book containing laws and regulations governing Liberia’s forestry sector. The ministry also received the same number of forestry compliance handbooks, a comprehensive guide for the sector’s law enforcement and procedures.

The lack of understanding of environmental laws and compliance regulations has significantly hampered prosecution and enforcement efforts in the country’s forest sector. Both books, comprising basic definitions, crimes, and fines, aim to close this gap. It is an undertaking of the Multi-stakeholder Forest Governance and Accountability Project (MFGAP), funded by the British government.

“This is a very good opportunity to understand the laws. It will improve the prosecutorial arm of the ministry because our prosecutors and county attorneys will have all of them at their fingertips,” said Justice Minister N. Oswald Tweh.

“In many instances, our prosecutors have to find the law, define and explain it. Now, summarizing them in a single place makes their task easier. This is a very good step.”

In May 2017, the Forestry Development Authority published the overview of the legal framework for forests, meant to improve sectoral governance and ensure compliance. However, progress has been marginal, with the sector plagued by irregularities and noncompliance.

Lucia Gbala, a representative of Heritage Partners and Associates, the firm that compiled the books, said it would enhance accountability in the sector.

“The best lawyers need to know where to find the laws,” Gbala said. “Putting these laws together and compiling all of the relevant laws for the work of prosecutors and other laws to be able to have easy access and educate the communities.”

Letla Mosenene, MFGAP’s team lead, said her group was working with the Ministry of Justice and other agencies to ensure adequate awareness of forestry legal frameworks.

“This is one of the efforts we are making to ensure that the people obey the laws, and that they effectively participate in governance of the forest sector,” said Mosenene. “We think this tool will go a long way to help the ministry carry on its work.”

Community Forest Signs Logging Deal Amid Issues

October 31, 2025

Top: Seekon Pellokon Community Forest covers 44,989 hectares. The DayLight/Carlucci Cooper

By Emmanuel Davies

SEEKON PELLOKON, Sinoe County – A community forest has signed a logging contract with a company despite multiple reports highlighting problems with the deal.

The agreement green-lights the Liberian Hardwood Corporation to carry on logging activities in the Seekon Pellokon Community Forest in Sinoe County.

Signed on 10^th September, the contract provides for a combined annual payment of US$47,930 to the community in exchange for the 44,989-hectare forestland. It provides for land rental fees, development initiatives, and education, among others, for landowning communities.

Several roads were captured for rehabilitation and maintenance throughout the lifespan of the contract. Liberian Hardwood to construct durable wooden and concrete bridges, the agreement shows.

It was signed a day after two DayLight reporters, Esau Farr and Carlucci Cooper, narrowly escaped the wrath of a masked dancer, commonly known as “Country Devil.”

Reporters Farr and Cooper had traveled to conduct an investigation for a contract-signing ceremony in the Community Forest when they were suddenly confronted by the country devil.

Seekon Pellokon’s leaders were reacting to an investigation the online newspaper published. It highlighted issues and concerns about Liberian Hardwood’s capacity to operate Seekon Pellokon amid its failure in the Bloquia and Neezonnie Community Forests in Grand Gedeh, and its management of the largest active forestry concession in Liberia, covering Grand Gedeh and River Gee Counties, 254,670 hectares. The concession is known in the sector as the forestry management contract area-F (FMC–F).

Junior Kumah, a Seekon Pellokon leader, had dismissed the warning of Liberian Hardwood failure in Grand Gedeh. Kumeh argued that they had signed a five-year contract, the company would pay after production, and they would terminate the contract if Liberian Hardwood breached the contract.

WhatsApp Image 2025 08 25 at 11.53.29 — Pellokon Town in the Seekon District, Sinoe County. The DayLight/Esau J. Farr

“I am not a rocket scientist to know whether Hardwood will fail or not. All I am telling you is that what happened in Bloquia will not be repeated here. What happened to John doesn’t mean the same thing will happen to Paul,” Kumah said.

The investigation also shed light on the relationship between the company’s manager and co-owner, Jihad Akkari’s relationship with the Managing Director of the Forestry Development Authority (FDA), Rudolph Merab. The investigation accused Merab of negotiating for Akkari to get Seekon Pellokon.

“FDA is the one that is negotiating. The FDA has all those documents in its possession,” said Kumah in a phone interview.

“FDA said it would not do business with us unless the community signs a contract with Liberian Hardwood,” said Stanley Kreejarly, a Seekon Pellokon leader, confirming Kumah’s claim.

Merab did not respond to The DayLight queries for comments on the accusations. However, Akkari denied any wrongdoing. In a statement, he claimed he had lost US$4 million in Grand Gedeh, and had “the capacity to operate” the combined nearly 300,000 hectares of Seekon Pellokon and FMC – F.

This story was produced by the Community of Forests and Environmental Journalists of Liberia (CoFE).

Lawmakers Learn New Tool To Review Concessions

October 30, 2025

Top: Some lawmakers at the training workshop. The DayLight/Esau J. Farr

By Esau J. Farr

MONROVIA – Lawmakers on concession committees have learned how to use a new tool to review contracts to increase revenue generated from natural resources.

Integrity Watch Liberia organized the training with funding from the Irish Aid. Participants in the event included the Legislature, especially lawmakers, Integrity Watch, and the Irish Embassy.

“Effective natural resource governance requires a strong legislature – one that can engage rigorously with concession agreements and understand their fiscal implications,” said Gérard Considine, Irish ambassador to Liberia, at the event. “You, as members of the legislature, hold that responsibility.”

Lawmakers on committees that review concessions will use the “standardized scoring framework.” Fifteen lawmakers—nine senators and six representatives—participated in the event.

Liberia’s resource sector, especially mining and concessions, is important for the country’s economic development. Concessions have, however, been marred by unfair fiscal terms, weak monitoring, a lack of transparency, and inadequate benefit-sharing with communities.

The training became necessary based on the request of lawmakers who attended previous workshops. Past participants have called for more training and a developed tool as a guide to review agreements, according to Integrity Watch.

In response, Integrity Watch collaborated with the African Parliamentary Network on Illicit Financial Flows and Taxation (APNIFFT) to develop the framework. It is in line with international best practices and provides a structured, evidence-based method for assessing agreements on legal, fiscal, social, environmental, and governance lines.

Participating lawmakers expressed their appreciation for the training and the tool. The legislators also called on the organizers of the training for greater opportunities for all members of the first branch of government, aimed at enhancing their oversight role.

“We thought this was necessary not only for the current lawmakers, but also for future lawmakers,” said Harold Aidoo, head of Integrity Watch, in an interview with The DayLight.

“This standardized scoring framework is a landmark tool to enhance the work of members of the legislature to carefully scrutinize concession agreements in Liberia.”

Grand Gedeh Cancels Cocoa Agreement

October 28, 2025

Top: An overview of B’hai Jozon, a border town in the Gbarzon District in Grand Gedeh County that separates Liberia and Cote d’Ivoire. The DayLight/Varney Kamara

By Varney Kamara

ZWEDRU – A cocoa lease agreement between Grand Gedeh County and a Burkinabe businessman has been canceled, County Attorney Wilkins Nah announced today on a local radio station.

Nah said he had observed several irregularities in the deal that needed to be corrected, including not getting local people’s consent.

“Upon learning about those things, I immediately called the superintendent and informed him that the Minister of Justice has ordered that we put a halt to everything until we can put in those things that are required,” said Nah.

“The superintendent and I agreed that we needed to correct some procedural errors in the agreement,” Nah added.

Grand Gedeh County administration recently signed the 30-year lease agreement granting Boubou Sebu the right to plant cocoa on 500 acres of land in the B’hai administrative district. The deal is valued at US$600,000.

But local people, prominent citizens and civil society have criticized the deal for lacking consultation and transparency, among others.

The announcement followed Superintendent Alex Grant’s admission to an error in the cocoa agreement with a Burkinabé businessman.

“I regret that the locals were not informed by the district’s authorities. I think is a procedural error,” Grant told a team of reporters in an interview in Zwedru City. “Once they don’t agree, and we agreed, we can both come to the negotiation table and have a conversation around it.”

Grant said he signed the deal because he believed it protected the land from illegal activities and to generate revenue for the county.

The land in question, Grant said, had been conflicted in the past, and that signing a legal agreement was a way of ending that conflict. He thought the district’s commissioner had informed local people of their consent.

The Commissioner of Gbarzon District, Kelvin Kayee, conceded.

“I signed it because I did not want to disrespect my boss,” said Kayee. “After that, I called a big meeting of community people and I apologized to them for not letting them know about it before signing it.”

Excluding the affected communities violates their right to consent, as stipulated in the Land Rights Act of 2018. The law requires consultations and the consent of communities before signing agreements regarding ancestral territories.

The deal sparked outrage, with locals calling for the return of their land.

“I don’t know anything about this agreement. Nobody told me about it, and we only heard this news on the Toe Town radio station the day before yesterday,” said Moses Taryor, Town Chief of B’hai Jozon. “I don’t agree to it today, tomorrow, and forever.”

“The bush is for us. But people from outside are telling us that they sold our bush. We are not happy about it. We will tell the government to return our land,” said Sam Nah, General Town Chief of B’hai Niko Clan.

One of several Burkinabe cocoa farms in the B’hai Administrative District, Grand Gedeh County. The DayLight/Varney Kamara

On Monday, a group of Grand Gedeh citizens had petitioned the southeastern county’s legislative caucus, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and the Liberia Land Authority for the cancellation of the deal, recommending disciplinary action against Superintendent Grant.

“We can no longer move freely in our forest to hunt, farm, or gather food,” the petition read.

Before that, the Grand Gedeh Bar Association criticized Grant for a lack of transparency, demanding a review of the deal.

“Our goal is not to obstruct development but to ensure that every development is lawful and genuinely beneficial to the people of Grand Gedeh,” Kanio Bai Gbala, President of the association, posted on Facebook.

Liberia Forest Media Watch provided funding for this story. The DayLight maintained editorial independence over its content.

FDA America-based Board Member Resigns

October 22, 2025

Top: The Forestry Development Authority’s headquarters in Whein Town, Paynesville. The DayLight/James Harding Giahyue

By James Harding Giahyue

MONROVIA – A member of the Forestry Development Authority’s board of directors has resigned, following a DayLight investigation that established he received board-sitting fees through a proxy while residing in the United States of America.

“Yes, [Mr. Grigsby has resigned],” Loretta Pope-Kai, an FDA board director, told The DayLight.

“The board is yet to receive his replacement, and his proxy no longer attends meetings,” Mrs. Pope-Kai added.

The FDA did not immediately respond to queries for comment. However, two other persons, familiar with the board’s activities, confirmed the information.

Gabriel Sarkpa Flaboe, a project coordinator with the Ministry of Public Works, who served as Mr. Grigsby’s proxy, did not return questions on the matter. Efforts to contact Mr. Grigsby did materialize.

Per DayLight estimates, the New Jersey resident’s resignation saves over half a million Liberian dollars (US$2,925) for the FDA, which barely has money for fieldwork.

Before his resignation, Mr. Grigsby received L$131,625 periodically through Mr. Flaboe, who, board minutes show, made no contributions.

The amount was equivalent to US$500 for the board-sitting fee, US$50 for communication, and 25 gallons of fuel for transportation. The FDA Managing Director, Rudolph Merab, had approved Grigsby’s payment in May last year, according to official documents.

This was a production of the Community of Forest and Environmental Journalists of Liberia (CoFEJ).

Gov’t Ignored Offenses, Now Logging Firm Fades

October 20, 2025

Top: Iroko logs on an open field outside of Greenville, Sinoe County. The DayLight/Derick Snyder

By Varney Kamara

MONROVIA – In this and the last three years, The DayLight published a series of reports, exposing a Nigerian-owned logging company’s offenses. Yet, the Forestry Development Authority (FDA) ignored each of the six investigations, approving the firm’s operations.

Over eight months after the newspaper’s last story, Iroko Timber and Logging Company has ceased operations. An FDA online portal identifies Iroko as “inactive.” The company is indebted to the Liberian government and the Central River Dugbe Community Forest in Sinoe, where it operated.

“There are signs that Iroko may not return to the community. As I speak, most of their workers are now working with different companies,” said Ernest Slah, a local leader, in a phone interview. “I am seriously disappointed because the community is still struggling to get its benefits after all these big promises.”

The story started in 2022 when Iroko signed a 15 -year logging contract with Central River Dugbe Community Forest to lease 13,193 hectares in exchange for schools, handpumps, and other benefits.

However, Iroko failed to live up to the agreement. It owes the villagers US$28,720.19 in land rental, harvesting and other fees, as well as projects, according to the community.

From their obligations to the community and the clearing of the logs from the forest, everything has been stalled since that time,” said Bartee Togba, Central River Dugbe’s chief officer. “They have still not paid the community debts they owed it.”

The FDA sanctioned Iroko’s export amid its indebtedness to the Central River Dugbe and the government, violating the Regulation on Forest Fees. The regulation requires that the FDA disapproves of an indebted company’s export.

A DayLight investigation found that a majority of the logs exported were illegally harvested and had been red-flagged by LiberTrace, the FDA tracking system.

Official records show that from July to August last year, Iroko paid the government US$173,432, covering export, land rental and other fees. The evidence, however, shows that the company owed the government US$16,263 in land rental fees.

That August, Iroko asked the Liberia Revenue Authority (LRA) to pay the balance due September and October, official records show.

“If we default on this agreement, our tax debt may be referred to the Ministry of Justice to sue for the unpaid tax and or court’s authorization to seize and sell our property,” read Iroko’s commitment.

The LRA agreed, but the money has not been paid, according to official records. Iroko and the LRA did not immediately respond to queries for comments.

Forest Cover Central Dugba CF — A map of the Central River Dugbe Community Forest. Filed picture/Forestry Development Authority

Another DayLight investigation last year established that the FDA permitted Iroko to export abandoned logs without fining the firm. Thus, the government lost over US$100,000 in fines, based the Regulation on Abandoned Logs, Timber and Timber Products.

In fact, Iroko was not qualified for Central River Dugbe Community Forest due to its shareholder Timothy Odebunmi.

Odebunmi is also a shareholder in Akewa Group of Companies, which was fined US$1,000 for forging a tax clearance in 2019. The Regulation on Bidder Qualifications restricts a person who is part of a dishonest company from forestry activities for five years.

Back in Sinoe, Togba and other locals brace for a court action.

“It is a sad thing to hear this because Iroko is still obligated to the community. It owes the community numerous benefits that have not been settled,” said Togba.

“If the company decides to close and leave the community without settlement, we will use the law to demand our social and financial benefits.”

This was a production of the Community of Forest and Environmental Journalists of Liberia (CoFEJ) production.

Community, Family Fight over Forest

October 20, 2025

Top: Smith Sulonteh is claiming a portion of the Salayea Community Forest, including where he makes charcoal and planks. The DayLight/T. Prince Mulbah

By Prince Mulbah

SALAYEA, Lofa County – Last year, townsmen were stunned when they discovered a huge pile of planks and the sound of a chainsaw deep in the forest in Gorlu during a routine patrol. When local guardians investigated, they found that a man was making planks and burning charcoal in the forest.

Angered by Smith Sulonteh’s actions, the community forest sued them at the Salayea Magisterial Court. It would turn out to be the beginning of a legal battle that has pitted the family against the community.

“We are managing this forest for the future generation, so we cannot allow a family just to come and claim the forest themselves,” said Yassah Mulbah, Salayea’s chief officer, outside of the courtroom.

“If they had their deed, they should have made it available during the establishment of the forest. The establishment of the forest was all on the radio; everyone knew about it,” added Mulbah. She was referring to a 30 or 90-day required period for a person with a private land claim to register their claim before a community forest is authorized.

However, Mr. Sulonteh said they decided not to make any claims at the time, based on their lawyer’s advice. He said their families purchased 2,244.27 acres or nearly 11 percent of the forest from chiefs and elders in 1967. He presented the families’ deed to the court, case files show.

“These people are claiming our land because they have few local authorities of Gorlu who are supporting them,” said Solunteh. If it is for this land business, they will kill me. I’m ready to die fighting for my rights, but our side is the law and the law is for everybody.”

A charcoal mass production machine with some processed coals in bags, Mr. Solunteh produced. The DayLight/T. Prince Mulbah

Lawsuits

Salayea Community Forest was established in 2019, comprising six communities: Salayea, Yarpuah, Telemu, Gorlu, Ganglota and Beyan’s Town. It covers 8,270 hectares of rocky forestland in the Salayea, Lofa County, and is home to species, including monkeys, pangolins, and elephants.

Since its formation, Salayea has been involved conservation programs, including animal husbandry, village saving loan schemes, a mini-wood shop and Cocoa farming. It outlawed hunting, mining and other commercial activities.

Following Salayea’s lawsuit, the Salayea Magisterial Court imposed a stay order on Mr. Solunteh’s plank and charcoal. The court would later fine him for violating that order.

During courtroom proceedings, Mr. Solunteh presented a deed to the court to back his claim. The court handed the document to Salayea to verify at the Center for National Documents and Records Agency in Monrovia.

Mr. Solunteh disagreed with that judgment and filed a petition with the 10^th Judicial Circuit Court in Voinjama to overturn the lower court’s decision.

The circuit court sided with Mr. Solunteh, according to the case files. The higher court reprimanded the lower court for not verifying the families’ deed itself, and for fining Mr. Sulonteh. The higher court then lifted the stay order on his activities in a March 18 verdict.

Three months later, Lofa County Attorney Cllr. Luther Sumo re-imposed the stay order following complaints from chiefs and elders of Gorlu. This term, Sumo sent in the police to enforce the stay.

“I have received several phone calls and complaints from the commissioner that the chiefs have threatened that if they cannot stop the pit-sawing and charcoal burning, they are going to protest and take unspecified actions, which we do not want,” Sumo said in a telephone interview.

“If I sit here and allow things to go off hand, who will be blamed at the end of the day… and we do not want chaos in our communities in Lofa.”

Piles of planks in the Salayea Community Forest. The DayLight/T. Prince Mulbah

Despite Mr. Sumo’s order, Mr. Sulonteh continued to operate, sticking with the circuit court’s decision. Only the court could tell him to stop, not any individual.

His insistence fueled the townspeople’s anger. In July, Gorlu townsmen stopped him from transporting planks from the area, seizing a truckload of wood that was headed to Monrovia because he was defying the County Attorney’s stay mandate.

Mr. Sulonteh sued the townsmen for alleged “menacing, theft of property and disorderly conduct.” However, the Salayea Magisterial Court dismissed the case, citing a lack of evidence, court filings show.

After the September 11, Mr. Sulonteh halted his operations—for the time being.

“Presently, we are not doing anything in the forest,” he told The DayLight. “We are running after some documents for the same land in question to allow our lawyer to advise us on the next action to take.”

This story was a Community of Forest and Environmental Journalists of Liberia (CoFEJ) production.

Tag: Liberia

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