Liberia Passport

[Country Name] The Republic of Liberia.

[Area] 111370 square kilometers.

The population is 5.34 million. There are 16 ethnic groups, with the larger ones being the Kepel, Barcelona, Dan, Kru, Grebo, Mano, Loma, Gora, Mandingo, Bell, and descendants of black people who migrated from the southern United States in the 19th century. The official language is English. Each major ethnic group has its own language. 85.6% of residents believe in Christianity, 12.2% believe in Islam, and 2.2% believe in other religions such as local traditional religions or have no religious beliefs.

【 Capital 】 Monrovia, with a population of 1.15 million.

President Joseph Nyumah Boakai was elected in November 2023 and inaugurated in January 2024.

Independence Day: July 26th.

【 Overview 】 Located in West Africa. It borders Guinea to the north, Sierra Leone to the northwest, Ivory Coast to the east, and the Atlantic Ocean to the southwest. The coastline is 537 kilometers long. It belongs to the tropical monsoon climate, with an average annual temperature of about 25 ℃.

In the 9th and 10th centuries, some residents near the Sahara Desert and West Africa migrated to Liberia. Starting from 1820, freed black slaves in the United States were gradually settled here. In 1839, the Federation of Liberia was established, and on July 26, 1847, independence was declared, establishing the Republic of Liberia. For over a hundred years, it was ruled by descendants of African American immigrants in the United States. In 1980, Sergeant Doi, a native of the Kran tribe, staged a coup and established a military government. He was elected president in 1985. In 1989, former government official Charles Taylor, who was in exile abroad, led his troops to return home, leading to the outbreak of civil war. In August 1990, Li established the "Interim Government of National Unity" and Soye became the president. In 1994, the State Council was established, with the Chairman and several Vice Chairmen collectively exercising presidential powers. In 1997, Lee held a general election and Taylor was elected president. After Taylor took office, the political situation continued to be turbulent. In August 2003, under internal and external pressure, Taylor handed over power to Vice President Blah and went into exile in Nigeria, ending the Libyan Civil War. In October, various factions in Liberia formed a national transitional government chaired by Bryant. In October 2005, Liberia held presidential elections, and the leader of the Unity Party, Ms. Sutcliffe, was elected and re elected in November 2011. In 2014, Liberia suffered from a severe Ebola epidemic, which had a significant impact on its economic and livelihood development. The government actively seeks assistance from the international community and is making every effort to fight against the epidemic. On May 9, 2015, the World Health Organization announced the official end of the pandemic. In December 2017, the candidate of the Democratic Change Alliance, Viva, was elected president. The presidential election will be held at the end of 2023, and candidate Boakai will be elected as the president and sworn in in in January 2024.

[Politics] The presidential election will be held in October November 2023, and the candidate of the Unity Party, Boakai, will be elected. The overall political situation is stable.

The third constitution was implemented in 1986. The Constitution stipulates that the President is the Head of State, the Head of Government, and the Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces, with a term of 6 years and the ability to serve two terms. The legislative power belongs to the parliament. The president and members of parliament are elected directly. Implement a multi-party system, where state power is shared among all parties.

The parliament is the highest legislative body, divided into two houses: the House of Representatives and the Senate. The Senate has a total of 30 seats, with 2 seats per state. Senators serve a term of 9 years and are eligible for re-election. The number of seats in the House of Representatives is determined based on the number of constituencies, with a total of 73 seats in this parliament. Members of the House of Representatives serve a term of 6 years and are eligible for re-election.

The current government will be formed in February 2024. The main members include: Foreign Minister Sara Beysolow Nyanti (female), Secretary of State for Presidential Affairs Sylvester M. Grigsby, Minister of Finance and Development Planning Augustine Kpehe Ngafan, Minister of Defense Geraldine George (female), Minister of Health Louise Kpoto (female), Minister of Education Jarso Maley Jallah (female), Minister of Interior Francis Sakala Nyumalin, Minister of Mines and Energy Wilmot Paye (female). MOT Paye, Minister of Information, Culture and Tourism Jeronimek M. Piah, Minister of Posts and Communications Sekou Kromah, Minister of Justice Oswald Tweh, Minister of Public Works Roland Giddings, Minister of Agriculture J. Alexander Nuetah, Minister of Transport Sirleaf Tyler, Acting Minister of Commerce and Industry Scholastica Tanneh Nyenkan Nimely, Minister of Labour Cooper Kruah, Minister of Gender, Children and Social Protection Gbeme Horace Kollie, Minister of Youth and Sports Jeror Cole Bangalu, regardless of Minister Mamaka Bility (female), Special Affairs Minister Samuel A. Stevquoiah, and others.

The country is divided into 15 states.

The judicial system includes the Supreme Court, local courts, and special military courts. Judges at all levels are appointed by the President. The Supreme Court is composed of one Chief Justice and four Associate Justices. The current Chief Justice is Sie-A-Nyene Gyapay Yuoh, who took office in September 2022. The Attorney General is concurrently held by the Minister of Justice.

The political party implements a multi-party system and currently has over 20 political parties, mainly including:

1. Unity Party: Established in August 1984, the ruling party. Advocate for respecting citizens' rights, emphasizing unity and reconciliation; Advocate for the establishment of a favorable investment environment and the development of the private economy; Advocate prioritizing the development of education and infrastructure. In May 2010, the Action Party (LAP) and the Unity Party (LUP) officially merged into the Unity Party. The current leader is Joseph Boakai, and the chairman is Rev. J. Luther Tarpeh.

2. The Coalition for Democratic Change, formerly known as the Congress for Democratic Change, was established in May 2005. In December 2016, the National Patriotic Party and the People's Democratic Party formed the Democratic Change Alliance. Advocate for achieving peace and unity, promoting democracy and good governance; Emphasize the priority development of education and infrastructure; Advocate for strengthening international cooperation and seeking international support and assistance. The current leader is George Weah. The chairman is Mulbah Morlu.

3. The Liberty Party was established in May 2005 and merged with the United Democratic Party in June of the same year. The current leader is Nyonblee Kanrnga Lawrence, and the chairman is Stephen Zargo.

Other major political parties include the National Patriotic Party, the Alliance for Peace and Democracy, and the National Union for Democratic Progress.

Important figure: President Joseph Nyumah Boakai, born in 1944. In his early years of business, he participated in the general election as the deputy to then President Ellen Johnson and was elected as Vice President in 2005. He was re elected in 2011. In 2017, he ran for president and lost to Viva. I will run again in October 2023 and win.

Economy is one of the least developed countries. Agricultural country, but unable to achieve self-sufficiency in food, underdeveloped industry, and abundant mineral resources. The production and export of natural rubber, wood, and other materials are the main pillars of its national economy. The main economic figures for 2023 are as follows:

Gross Domestic Product (GDP): 4.33 billion US dollars

Per capita Gross Domestic Product: 799.5 US dollars

Gross Domestic Product Growth Rate: 4.7%

Currency: Liberian Dollar and US Dollar are the main circulating currencies

Exchange rate: 1 US dollar=189 interest dollars

Inflation rate: 10.1%

(Source: World Bank)

Natural resources are abundant. The proven reserves of iron ore exceed 10 billion tons. There are also mineral deposits such as diamonds, gold, bauxite, copper, lead, manganese, zinc, columbium, tantalum, barite, and kyanite. The forest coverage rate is about 59%, accounting for 42% of the total area of the Upper Guinea Forest Belt in West Africa. Producing precious woods such as rosewood. There are over 2000 species of plants, 600 species of birds, and 125 species of mammals in the country.

10% of the population in China is engaged in mining and manufacturing industries, and the income from mineral energy accounts for 30% of government revenue. During the civil war, due to continuous political turmoil, production was severely affected and output value sharply declined, but has recovered in recent years. The total industrial output value accounted for 18.9% of the GDP in 2021. After the United Nations lifted sanctions on diamond exports to Libya in 2007, diamond production and exports gradually resumed. That year, the country produced 20000 carats of diamonds and earned nearly 2.7 million US dollars in foreign exchange through exports. The export value of diamonds in 2019 was 40.71 million US dollars. (Source: London Economic Quarterly Review for the Fourth Quarter of 2022).

The main crops in agriculture, fisheries, animal husbandry, and forestry are rice and cassava. Once a rice exporting country, but unable to achieve self-sufficiency in food after the civil war, 50-60% of rice heavily relies on imports. The rice production in 2013 was 238000 tons. Rubber is the main economic crop, along with cocoa, coffee, and oil palm. The export revenue of rubber in 2008 was approximately 207 million US dollars. Animal husbandry is underdeveloped, and poultry eggs are mainly imported. From 2004 to 2006, due to the United Nations timber embargo restrictions, timber production ceased. After the United Nations lifted sanctions in 2006, production began to resume. The first batch of timber exports was achieved in 2009. In 2021, the total agricultural output value accounted for 40.1% of the year's GDP. (Source: London Economic Quarterly Review, Q4 2022)

[Registration of Ships] is the second largest convenient flag country in the world, with over 5000 registered ships, second only to Panama. Revenue from ship registration has always been one of the important sources of revenue for the government.

Railway: Before the civil war, there were only three railways in the country with a total length of 500 kilometers, mainly used for transporting iron ore. During the civil war, it suffered severe damage. The railway from the iron ore mining area in Ningba State to Buchanan Port has been repaired and put into use by Acelo Mittal Steel Company; The railway from Bondore to Monrovia Freeport is being repaired and extended by China Union Investment Limited and is now ready for initial use.

Highway: The total length is 11000 kilometers, including 2036 kilometers of all-weather roads and 739 kilometers of asphalt roads. The damage was more severe during the civil war. With the assistance of the international community, repair work has begun.

Water transportation: The National Port Authority of Liberia governs four ports: Monrovia, Greenville, Harper, and Buchanan. Among them, the Freeport of Monrovia is the largest port in Liberia, but it has been in disrepair for a long time and only some berths are available. In the first three quarters of 2009, a total of 1 million tons of goods were loaded and unloaded. Before the Civil War, Buchanan Port was mainly used for transporting iron ore and timber. The port itself can still be used today, but the loading, unloading, and warehousing facilities are basically non-existent.

Air freight: Before the civil war, there were a total of 47 airports in Liberia, including 2 large airports. After the civil war, most airport facilities were destroyed. Roberts International Airport, located in the capital, is currently the most important civilian airport in Liberia and is gradually being repaired and expanded. Li currently does not have its own commercial airline, and its international aviation business is mainly operated by Nigeria Airlines, Moroccan Airlines, Brussels Airlines, Kenya Airways, and Ethiopian Airlines. In 2012, Gambia and British Airways successively opened routes in Liberia. In 2014, during the Ebola outbreak in Liberia, several airlines were suspended, but they have since resumed operations.

The main sources of revenue for finance and administration come from taxes, ship registration income, export taxes, and profits of state-owned enterprises. The government revenue for the fiscal year 2022/2023 was 710.3 million US dollars, with actual expenditures of 796.3 million US dollars. In 2023, the foreign exchange reserves will be 450 million US dollars, and the balance of external debt will be 1.29 billion US dollars.

Foreign trade mainly exports iron ore, natural rubber, gold, and logs, while importing machinery and transportation equipment, petroleum products, food, and finished products. In 2021, major exporting countries include Switzerland, Belgium, the United States, and the United Arab Emirates; The main importing countries are China, India, the United States, Türkiye, etc. The import and export trade situation in recent years is as follows (in millions of US dollars):