Lebanese in Liberia

The Lebanese seem to be the shopkeepers in Liberia. I had heard there were Lebanese in West Africa, but I hadn't realized how many there were. They seem to dominate the economic landscape - some of the largest businesses and many shops in Liberia are owned by Lebanese. I wondered how they got here. By accident, I was told. Of course. They had meant to go to America, but landed in West Africa instead. So they stayed. I tried to find out the story, but I couldn't find much after a quick search. From what I did read, it said they started arriving in the mid-nineteenth century as refugees fleeing during the silkworm crisis which struck the Ottoman Empire (though I'm not entirely sure what a silkworm crisis is).

While some have been here for generations, the Lebanese aren't allowed to become Liberian citizens or to vote. Even the ones who were born here. And because they can't be citizens, they can't own land. This dates back to the mid-nineteenth century, when former American slaves declared Liberia independent and decided that only blacks could be citizens. Like in England, you can have one person own the land and another own the building that's built on it. But unlike in England, they can't have 1000 year leases either. So it's all very uncertain.

Another curious thing is that Lebanese businesses are apparently required to close on Lebanese national holidays. Yes, Lebanese national holidays!

Buses!

The predominant mode of transport for most people in Monrovia seems to be taxis. Taxis proliferate, particularly along the strip from UN Drive and Tubman Boulevard. But more recently, buses have been introduced, many donated from Spain.

I've been told a bus ride costs 15 Liberian dollars - about 25 cents US. The only problem is that there aren't very many buses, so you can wait for a while to catch a bus. And even when one comes, it may be too full to take you.

Monrovia is a relatively small town, but transport is a huge problem. It can take ages to go just a few kilometres. And sometimes, it takes hours for people to get to work. Partly, it's that the roads need a lot of fixing - there are a lot of roads with many a pothole, and partly it's a lack of reliable public transport. So far, I've stuck with taxis. I haven't tried the buses yet (or the motorcycle taxis), but maybe one day I will take a loop.

The (Non-)Killer Worms!

So Liberia doesn't come up in the international news much. But just before I came, it did, and several people sent me the link to this article on KILLER WORMS! Where was I heading? Never mind that it was a post-conflict zone, but watch out for the KILLER WORMS! Apparently army worms were infesting the country, ruining the crops and a state of emergency was declared.

Turns out, they weren't the horrible army worms which are so difficult to get rid of, but were instead another kind of moth. Very different from army worms. Phew. But still a pest, and it doesn't look like they have enough pesticide to get rid of them all - though they should go away by March. And no, I haven't seen one in Monrovia, and I'm hoping we don't cross paths.

P.S. Apparently I needed to post more exciting posts, and not so much econ. So this one's for you, Hugo!

PRS, PRSP, MDRI, HIPC, ...and Bono?

I've been here a week, but am still catching up on all the acronyms! Everywhere has their own. Letters that are bandied about that mean something to those in the know, but are hard to decipher and gobbledygook for those out of the loop.

A few that I haven't heard too much about lately, but are immensely prevalent here are PRS, PRSP, MDRI and HIPC: Poverty Reduction Strategy, Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper, Multilateral Debt Relief Initiative and Heavily-Indebted Poor Countries. And I can't help it - when I hear HIPC, who should come to mind? But Bono, of course. Rock star, international superstar and saviour of the world?

Coming back to HIPC and MDRI, the HIPC initiative was launched in 1996 by the World Bank and IMF to provide debt relief and help with debt repayment. The HIPC program lists 41 countries potentially eligible for debt relief, 32 of them in sub-Saharan Africa. To date, 23 countries have reached 'completion point', where debts are forgiven in amounts agreed at 'decision point'. 11 countries are at 'decision point', including Liberia. In recent years, more focus has been placed on linking debt relief and poverty reduction efforts - through a country's Poverty Reduction Strategy (PRS). According to the World Bank, to reach 'decision point', a country needs to "maintain macroeconomic stability under a PGRF-supported program, carry out key structural and social reforms as agreed upon at decision point, and implement a PRSP satisfactorily for one year".

Liberia reached decision point in March 2008, and is currently under a Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility (PGRF), following the Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper published last year. A lot of what I've been exposed to this past week has revolved around all these acronyms. It's fascinating.

OBAMA 1

I saw a great license plate on the way to work today: OBAMA 1.

License plates are organized in a curious way. Taxis start with "TX", private cars "PC", business cars "BC", diplomatic plates start with "CD" (corps diplomatique) - you get the picture. Then there are the international organizations: UNMIL for the United Nations Military in Liberia, OXFAM, etc. And I guess there are vanity plates too. If you want, you can have your plates say whatever you want (maybe). Hence OBAMA 1!

A room with a view

Here's a view from the office, from the 10th floor (penthouse!). It's one of the taller buildings in the area, at the busy intersection of Mechlin and Broad Streets. Outside it's bussling with people, sitting, walking, driving, selling clothes, shoes, random items. Music filtres up from the street through the windows, loud enough sometimes that it feels like it's coming from within the office - the 10th floor office.

There's air conditioning in the office; something I hadn't actually expected. Outside it's hot and muggy and 30 degrees. Within it gets cold enough at times that I need some extra layers (you know me and the cold).

As you can probably tell by the picture, Monrovia lies on the coast, at Cape Mesurado. There's the Atlantic Ocean on one side, and the Mesurado River along another. Broad Street is one of the busiest streets in the city, to the west of here is Mamba Point, where the US Embassy is (formerly the British Embassy), while to the east there is Capital Hill where most of the government buildings are located, and a bit further, Sinkor. For a map of Monrovia, you can check this out.

Why Liberia?

So, I'm in Liberia for a stint at the Ministry of Finance. Quite a few people have asked me, "So, why Liberia?" Well, as I've told them, it wasn't so much that I found Liberia, but rather Liberia found me.

I wanted to take a break from work, and during this time to take the opportunity to work in a developing country. Something I've been wanting and meaning to do for awhile. It seemed the perfect opportunity. I wanted to do something where I could ideally use what little skills I had, to hopefully add some value. A position in a Ministry of Finance seemed like a great fit (I don't profess to know a ton about MoF work but at least I know a little bit). And it just so happened that I knew someone who knew people in Liberia (thanks Chris!) with whom I got in contact and arranged everything. So here I am.

A bit embarassingly, I didn't know too much about Liberia. I still have a lot to learn. For those interested in an overview and facts, you can check out this site. For a quick intro: Liberia is located in West Africa, and was founded in 1822 by freed American slaves and was declared an independent republic in 1847. A coup toppled the government in 1980 and a new government was installed, but the country was pushed into civil war in 1989. The first civil war ended in 1996 with the Abuja Accord but this was short-lived. Fighting started again and the second civil war began in 1999 and only ended in 2003. An estimated 270,000 people were killed during the wars, many more displaced, and the economy collapsed - GDP fell a staggering 90% between 1987 and 1996. Two-thirds of the population live below the poverty line, about half of the population in extreme poverty.

Liberia really is rebuilding, and for the next little while I'll be in the capital, Monrovia - named after a former American president, James Monroe. For those economists out there, here are some random facts: Liberia's GDP per capita at PPP is $500; the unemployment rate is a staggering 85% (but this is exaggerated as I believe it only counts those employed in the formal sector); inflation last year reached about 26%, largely influenced by developments in food and energy prices; GDP growth was about 7%; and it is a highly dollarized economy and relies immensely on imports (its trade deficit was about 60% of GDP last year).

And as a visual, here's a picture of part of central Monrovia. Many of the buildings were badly damaged during the fighting, and the centre is a mixture of old buildings, new buildings and makeshift structures.

Jen in Liberia

I've started this blog for my stay in Liberia. I've decided to take some time off from work, and because I'm not very good at doing nothing, I've organized to work at the Ministry of Finance in Liberia for a few months. This blog, as I see it now, will be part journal, part forum for me to keep people up to date with my goings-on so I don't clog inboxes and part randomness. Of course.