The President of the Fula Business Association of Liberia, Mohammed Maja Barrie, has raised serious concerns about the state of trade facilitation across the country.
Making remarks while receiving an award in Monrovia recently when five civil society organizations and media organizations honored him for his contribution to the business community, Barrie stated that the poor condition of roads and the burdensome taxation system are significant obstacles that hinder economic growth and development.
According to him, it is difficult to engage in business in Liberia due to the bad trade facilitation, and so the government needs to address the issues of road connectivity network and the taxation of commodities that are coming in the Liberian market.
“Liberia can do more and move forward, but the government has to address taxation and trade facilitation as well as challenges at the Freeport of Monrovia and the road connectivity network across the country by mitigating the economy from experience,” he said.
Barrie said he will continue to advocate for the improvement of the Liberian business community by providing training for small business owners and fighting against the high cost of living across the country.
Meanwhile, receiving the certificate of honor, Barrie expressed excitement and appreciation to the groups for the recognition and assured that he will continue to advocate for the Liberian business community because it is only through good legislation and policy that Liberian businesses can prosper.
He concluded that this is an opportunity to do more for the business community. “Liberians can achieve far better, but we can only do that when we keep the government’s feet to the fire to provide the necessary legislation and policy to safeguard the business space. We are committed to that and we will achieve it,” he stated.
The President of the Fula Business Association called on Liberians to maintain the peace in the midst of the many challenges that they are going through on a day-to-day basis.