GBARNGA, Bong County – Some motorcyclists and market vendors in Gbarnga say their livelihoods have sharply declined under the Unity Party-led government, accusing President Joseph Boakai of failing to address the country’s worsening economic conditions.
In interviews with The Liberian Investigator on Monday, the frustrated business owners said plummeting sales and fewer passengers have left them unable to pay school fees for their children or meet basic household needs. Some said their businesses have completely collapsed.
“The country is harder than we expected. We thought President Boakai would bring significant change,” one vendor said.
Many argued that the economic decline has deepened under the Boakai administration compared to the tenure of former President George Weah, resulting in what they described as untold suffering. Some market women said they go entire days without a single customer, while motorcyclists reported earning less than 1,000 Liberian dollars per day.
They attributed the downturn to widespread economic hardship that has gripped the country, leaving many struggling to survive.
A recent World Bank report highlights a troubling rise in poverty in Liberia’s rural areas, citing slow economic growth, high inflation, limited employment, and weak social protections as contributing factors.
Elijah G. Pilay, a commercial motorcyclist at the Gbarnga Far East parking station, said he took up bike riding to fund his education, but that goal now seems unattainable.
“Imagine—we sometimes beg people to ride with us. Even when we reduce the fare, they still choose to walk because of the hardship,” Pilay said, noting that his daily income rarely exceeds 1,000 Liberian dollars.
Verity Paye, who sells paper and butter balls at Sirleaf Market, shared her frustration over the lack of customers. She said her first round of goods—purchased with money borrowed from a local savings club—went unsold, and she was jailed for three days after failing to repay the loan.
“The goods I was selling broke down. The people took me to jail where I spent three days until family members intervened,” she said. Paye added that her three children are currently out of school because she can’t afford to pay the remaining tuition fees.
Another vendor at Sirleaf Market, Yama Mulbah, directly blamed President Boakai for the worsening economic conditions.
“President Boakai told us to vote for him and promised that things would get better, but nothing has changed,” she said, noting that the Liberian dollar has weakened since Boakai took office.
Patience Sumo, 23, echoed similar concerns. She said the soaring cost of goods has forced vendors to sell at a loss.
“We buy goods at high prices and sell them cheaply just so they can move,” she said, adding that the rising exchange rate is making it nearly impossible to earn a profit.
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