Inside Liberia Presidential Power Struggle: A Comparison Of Liberia 3 Most Controversial Presidents

Since its independence in 1847 Liberia has played host to countless Lebanese merchants and their families in search of greener pastures to fuel growth of their country's economy. This host relationship has been at a very high cost to Liberia and its citizens, to the extent that, whereas Liberia's economy has become consistently poorer, that of Lebanon's has grown richer. Whereas Individual Lebanese families, resident in Liberia, have become millionaires, after 166 years Liberians can barely boast of having even ten legally declared millionaire businessmen. In stark contrast Lebanese families who migrated to Liberia with next to nothing can now boast of second and third generation millionaire businessmen both in Liberia and Lebanon.

Lebanese and other foreign merchants are in complete control of the Liberian economy and their continued grip on the economy is fueled in large part by funds from successive Liberian governments. Except for the current trend seen in the last six years where Chinese contractors have muscled in on the infrastructure sector of the Liberian economy, Lebanese merchants enjoy carte blanche in dictating recipients of government contracts in all sectors of Liberia's economy. The result is that Liberian businessmen and women are unable to compete in their own economy for the large contracts that have the propensity to lift themselves and other Liberians out of poverty.
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