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.