The Chief Executive Officer of the Bukonjadeh Group of Companies has urged the government to empower Liberian businesses in the country.
Elton Johns stated that empowering Liberian businesses will go a long way to in transforming the Liberian economy, noting that small businesses are the engine of growth in the economy.
Johns made the assertion Wednesday when he appeared on a local radio station in Monrovia to analyze the business situation in Liberia.
He noted that the lack of empowerment of Liberian businesses over the years by past and current governments continue to make it difficult for Liberian businesses to compete with their foreign counterparts in the business community.
He asserted that the governments of some countries in the West African Sub-region, like Ghana and Ivory Coast, empower their citizens through subsiding local businesses.
Johns asserted that it is about time that the government considers empowering Liberian businesses through financial support.
According to him, government should initiate the process of building a vibrant private sector that could foster major job creation.
He said while government seeks foreign investments to create jobs for its citizens, empowerment of local businesses can also create jobs for Liberians.
The Bukonjadeh boss maintained that transformation of the Liberian economy will actually depend on the empowerment of Liberians in the private sector.
He stated he believes that strengthening small businesses will ensure major growth and development in the private sector of the nation.
He said President Joseph Boakai’s administration should ensure that Liberian businesses are empowered financially.