A wave of public confusion and concern has emerged following conflicting reports from senior officials at the Liberia Commodity Regulatory Authority (LACRA) regarding the country’s cocoa and coffee export figures between 2023 and 2024.
In a recent interview conducted in Bong County, LACRA’s Director General, Christopher Sankolo, painted a glowing picture of the agency’s performance under his leadership. He stated that Liberia exported 35,000 metric tons of cocoa and coffee in 2024, a significant leap from the 2,660 metric tons exported in 2023—the year he assumed office.
However, shortly after this statement, a contrasting set of figures was presented by LACRA’s Deputy Director General for Operations and Technical Services, Alpha Gongolee, during a separate press engagement. According to Gongolee, the numbers provided by the Director General do not reflect the actual data recorded by the operations department.
Gongolee reported that when their administration took over, the accumulated export total stood at 24,056.5 metric tons of cocoa and 107 metric tons of coffee—a significant difference from the figures cited by DG Sankolo. He further added that from January to May 2025 LACRA exported 18,801.994 metric tons of cocoa and 50 metric tons of coffee.
Moreover, Gongolee claimed that the actual exports from January 2024 to May 2025 were 42,858.494 metric tons of cocoa and 157 metric tons of coffee, figures that, again, do not align with the Director General’s statement of 35,000 metric tons for the entire year of 2024.
These contradictory accounts have sparked questions among Liberian citizens, media practitioners, and stakeholders in the agricultural sector. “Who is telling the real data?” has become the central question echoing across public platforms.
Beyond the numerical discrepancies, Gongolee emphasized significant structural developments within LACRA under his department’s purview. He revealed that the number of active exporting companies had grown from 10 (4 international and 6 local) to 31 (11 international and 20 local). Additionally, he highlighted that the agency’s network of agents expanded from just 8 to over 250, and that 16 regional agencies have now been established where previously there were none.
While these developments point to improvements in sectoral organization and stakeholder engagement, the conflicting export data has raised red flags about internal coordination and communication within LACRA’s top leadership.
Alpha Gongolee used the occasion to commit his office’s continuing efforts to improving Liberia’s agricultural sector.
Citizens and social media users are calling on LACRA to clarify the situation with a unified, independently verified report. Transparency, they say, is essential to maintaining both investor confidence and public trust in the country’s commodity export sector.