Other State Department Archive Sites

The State Department web site below is a permanent electronic archive of information released online from January 1, 1997 to January 20, 2001. Please see www.state.gov for current material from the Department of State. Or visit http://2001-2009.state.gov for information from that period. Archive sites are not updated, so external links may no longer function. Contact us with any questions about finding information. NOTE: External links to other Internet sites should not be construed as an endorsement of the views contained therein.

Country Commercial Guides for FY 2000: Liberia Report prepared by U.S. Embassy Monrovia, released July 1999 Note*

CHAPTER I: EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

THIS COUNTRY COMMERCIAL GUIDE (CCG) PRESENTS A COMPREHENSIVE LOOK AT LIBERIA'S COMMERCIAL ENVIRONMENT, USING ECONOMIC, POLITICAL AND MARKET ANALYSIS. THE CCGS WERE ESTABLISHED BY RECOMMENDATION OF THE TRADE PROMOTION COORDINATING COMMITTEE (TPCC), A MULTI-AGENCY TASK FORCE, TO CONSOLIDATE VARIOUS REPORTING DOCUMENTS PREPARED FOR THE U.S. BUSINESS COMMUNITY. COUNTRY COMMERCIAL GUIDES ARE PREPARED ANNUALLY AT U.S. EMBASSIES THROUGH THE COMBINED EFFORTS OF SEVERAL U.S. GOVERNMENT AGENCIES.

LIBERIA IS AFRICA'S OLDEST REPUBLIC, SETTLED INITIALLY IN THE 1820S BY FREED AMERICAN SLAVES. IT IS LOCATED ON THE WEST COAST OF AFRICA, WITH A 350-MILE-LONG COASTLINE ON THE ATLANTIC OCEAN, AND SHARES BORDERS WITH SIERRA LEONE, GUINEA, AND COTE D'IVOIRE. IT IS A MEMBER OF THE ECONOMIC UNION OF WEST AFRICAN STATES (ECOWAS).

LIBERIA IS A CENTRALIZED REPUBLIC DOMINATED BY A STRONG PRESIDENCY. THE SEVEN-YEAR-LONG CIVIL WAR ENDED IN 1996 WITH THE ABUJA ACCORDS, AND IN JULY 1997, PRESIDENT CHARLES TAYLOR WON THE PRESIDENCY IN ELECTIONS THAT WERE ADMINISTRATIVELY FREE AND TRANSPARENT, BUT CONDUCTED IN AN ATMOSPHERE OF INTIMIDATION.

LIBERIA IS A VERY POOR COUNTRY WITH A MARKET-BASED ECONOMY THAT IS ONLY BEGINNING TO RECOVER FROM THE RAVAGES OF CIVIL WAR. EIGHTY-FIVE PERCENT UNEMPLOYMENT, A 15 PERCENT LITERACY RATE, AND THE ABSENCE OF INFRASTRUCTURE THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY CONTINUE TO DEPRESS PRODUCTIVE CAPACITY, DESPITE THE COUNTRY'S RICH NATURAL RESOURCES AND POTENTIAL SELF-SUFFICIENCY IN FOOD.

THE U.S. EMBASSY IN MONROVIA HAS A POLITICAL/ECONOMIC COUNSELOR AND IS IN THE PROCESS OF ESTABLISHING A COMMERCIAL LIBRARY AT THE U.S. INFORMATION SERVICE INFORMATION RESOURCE CENTER (IRC). IN ADDITION, THERE IS A REGIONAL COUNSELOR FOR COMMERCIAL AFFAIRS OF THE U.S. FOREIGN COMMERCIAL SERVICE LOCATED IN ABIDJAN, COTE D'IVOIRE. COUNTRY COMMERCIAL GUIDES ARE AVAILABLE FOR U.S. EXPORTERS FROM THE NATIONAL TRADE DATA BANK'S CD-ROM OR VIA THE INTERNET. PLEASE CONTACT STAT-USA AT 1-800-STAT- USA FOR MORE INFORMATION. COUNTRY COMMERCIAL GUIDES CAN BE ACCESSED VIA THE WORLD WIDE WEB AT HTTP://WWW.STAT- USA.GOV, HTTP://WWW.STATE.GOV/, AND HTTP://WWW.MAC.DOC. GOV. THEY CAN ALSO BE ORDERED IN HARD COPY OR ON DISKETTE FROM THE NATIONAL TECHNICAL INFORMATION SERVICE (NTIS) AT 1-800-553-NTIS. U.S. EXPORTERS SEEKING EXPORT INFOMRATION/ASSISTANCE AND COUNTRY-SPECIFIC COMMERCIAL INFORMATION SHOULD CONTACT THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE, TRADE INFORMATION CENTER, BY PHONE AT 1-800- USA-TRAD(E) OR BY FAX AT (202) 482-4473.