CAPITOL HILL, Monrovia — Labor Minister Cllr. Cooper W. Kruah has submitted a comprehensive report to the Liberian Senate, disclosing that 7,633 work permits were renewed and 2,484 newly issued in 2024—figures he says aim to address growing concerns over the country’s approval of foreign labor.
The report, presented to the Senate plenary on Tuesday, offers a detailed breakdown of all 10,117 permits processed in 2024, including data on job categories, nationalities, and gender.
Of the total, 75% were renewals for foreign nationals already employed in Liberia, while the remaining 25% were newly issued permits, Kruah said. The minister’s disclosure comes after weeks of scrutiny by lawmakers who accused him of approving more than 8,000 permits without disclosing the nature of the jobs or the nationalities of the recipients.
Among the critics was Montserrado County Sen. Abraham Darius Dillon, who claimed the lack of transparency violated provisions of the Decent Work Act and limited job opportunities for Liberians.
Citing Chapter 7, Section 7.1 and Chapter 45, Section 45.9 of the Act—as well as Revised Regulation No. 17 of 2019—lawmakers argued that the Ministry of Labor had failed to enforce key provisions that restrict the issuance of work permits to non-Liberians. For example, Section 3 prohibits granting permits to non-African nationals for informal sector jobs, while Section 6 requires that all vacancies be publicly advertised for at least 30 days before a certificate of non-availability is issued.
Faced with threats of contempt and mounting pressure from lawmakers, Kruah had earlier requested a two-week extension to compile and present the data.
“I will write to the employers, retrieve accurate job titles and descriptions, and organize the information into a typed report for this body,” Kruah said at the time, responding to a request from Grand Kru County Sen. Albert T. Chie.
On June 3, Kruah followed through on that promise, submitting the documents through Senate Secretary Nanborlor Singbeh. The report includes names of foreign nationals, their employers, nationalities, job titles, and descriptions.
“You will note further that during the period under review, a total of 7,633 work permits—representing 75%—were renewals,” Kruah said in a statement accompanying the submission. He clarified that those renewals applied to foreign workers already residing in Liberia prior to his appointment.
Gender Breakdown
Of the 10,117 total permits issued, 8,802—about 87%—went to men, while 1,315, or 13%, were issued to women.
Nationality Breakdown
Kruah reported that 6,980 permits—roughly 69%—were issued to non-African nationals. An additional 2,699 (27%) went to African nationals outside of ECOWAS, and 438 (4%) were issued to citizens of ECOWAS member states.
Kruah maintained that the perception of mass new approvals for foreign labor was misleading, stating that the majority of the permits were for individuals who were already working in the country.
Following the report’s submission, the Senate voted to review the documents in detail and consider inviting Minister Kruah for further questioning. The decision followed a motion by Bong County Sen. Prince K. Moye.
Discussion about this post