Published: March 9, 2026
MONROVIA — Long before government offices open and long before commuters crowd the streets of Monrovia, Liberia’s economy is already at work inside its markets.
By sunrise, thousands of women have taken their places behind stalls, tables, and makeshift tarpaulins in busy commercial centers such as Waterside, Red Light, and Duala markets. Some arrange piles of pepper and ground peas. Others unpack bales of used clothing or baskets of palm oil and vegetables.
By Roseline Gbessagee, Masefane Konneh and Destiny Jabula
For many of these women, the market is the financial engine that feeds families, pays school fees, and sustains entire households in a country where formal employment opportunities remain limited.
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Yet despite their central role in Liberia’s economy, many market women continue to operate under difficult conditions, without access to reliable credit, adequate market infrastructure, or meaningful social protection.
Backbone of Liberia’s Informal Economy
As Liberia observes International Women’s Day, the work of market women underscores the critical role women play in sustaining the country’s informal economy.
According to a report by The Borgen Project titled “Empowering Liberia’s Women: Socio-Economic Equality in Liberia,” women earn about 15 percent less than men despite their significant contributions to the economy.
The report also notes that women own about 55 percent of enterprises in Liberia, particularly in agriculture and informal markets. However, most of these businesses remain small and undercapitalized, and fewer than 5 percent of women hold formal sector jobs.
This imbalance means that although women are a driving force in Liberia’s economic activity, many still face structural barriers that limit their ability to achieve financial independence.
Across Liberia, the majority of women workers remain in the informal sector. Studies show that about 74 percent of female workers in Liberia operate in informal employment, often without access to banking services, business training or social protections.
A Market Day Begins Before Sunrise
To better understand the realities behind these statistics, The Liberian Investigator visited several major markets across Monrovia on March 5, 2026, speaking with traders about their daily struggles and economic realities.
For many women, the work begins long before the first sale.
Fatu Kamara, who has been selling dry goods for nearly a decade, said her day begins before dawn.
“It is not easy working in this market,” Kamara explained. “Every morning I have to wake up very early so I can meet my customers. Before I even start selling, I must pay warehouse fees and pay boys to bring my goods from the warehouse.”
Even before business begins, traders face multiple costs, including transportation, storage, porter fees, and stall payments, all of which must be paid regardless of how the day’s sales turn out.
Businesses That Carry Families
For many market women, trading is not simply about making a profit. It is about survival.
Precious Johnson, who has been selling clothing in the market for a decade, said the income from her stall supports a large household.
“I have been doing clothing business for 10 years. This is what my family and I survive on,” Johnson said. “I have eight people who depend on the market where I sell.”
But keeping the business running is not easy.
With limited capital, Johnson said many traders are forced to borrow money to restock their goods.
“Now I am bringing in new goods, though they are not worth much,” she explained. “Yet I still have to make sales to repay the loan so I don’t get into debt.”
Other traders echoed similar concerns about shrinking profits and declining sales.
“The market is slow and sometimes there are no buyers,” one trader said. “You invest in the business but do not make much profit.”
Another woman who has spent 20 years in petty trading described the pressure of fixed financial obligations.
“I pay US$700 in tax for the shop I own, but even when I make no profit, I still struggle to recover my market money so I can continue because I have a family to care for,” she said.
Many of these traders are locally known as “Gobachop women,” petty traders who purchase farm produce from vehicles arriving from rural communities and resell the goods in urban markets such as the sprawling Red Light MarketandELWA Junction Market.
At ELWA Hospital Junction Market, pepper seller Ma-Martha Debbah begins arranging her vegetables shortly after sunrise, hoping to attract early customers.
“Pepper doesn’t really give me much profit,” she said quietly. “Sometimes it gets rotten before I sell everything, so I can’t make much profit.”
To keep her business alive, Debbah relies on a susu savings club, an informal rotating savings system among traders who contribute small amounts of money to help one another restock their businesses.
Across the road, Decontee Robert, a 43-year-old vendor who sells second-hand clothes and bags, opened her small stall after dropping her child at school. Like many market women, she works long hours with uncertain returns.
“My business is from hand to mouth,” Robert said. “Some days there is no market and I won’t make a cent. On other days, I have to lower prices and sell at a loss. I am a single mother supporting my child and my younger sister. This business is the only source of income.”
Robert said her struggles worsened when a road construction project forced traders to relocate from their previous selling area.
“They broke the first area I was selling because of the road project,” she explained. “No compensation was given. That setback affected the growth of my business.”
Both women are part of Liberia’s vast informal economy — a sector dominated by women who supply food, clothing and essential goods to urban households while keeping local markets alive.
Despite their economic importance, traders say they continue to face persistent obstacles, including limited access to bank loans, unsafe or overcrowded market facilities, and losses caused by spoilage of perishable goods.
Many traders rely on informal systems like susu clubs to survive, but say these mechanisms are not enough to help businesses expand.
“I would like the government to loan us sustainable amounts so we can buy in larger quantities and make real profits,” Robert said. “We also need proper storage so our goods don’t go bad.”
Debbah echoed the same concern, urging authorities to introduce small and manageable loans for market women struggling to sustain their businesses.
While International Women’s Day celebrates women’s achievements worldwide, traders say real empowerment requires more than recognition.
Safety and Harassment Concerns
Beyond financial pressures, traders say they also face harassment and insecurity.
Deborah Moe, a market trader, said enforcement actions by police officers sometimes lead to the loss of goods.
“Government should summon the police officers and talk to them to stop the harassment,” Moe said. “Whenever they take our goods, it is impossible to get them back in full.”
She also recounted a recent incident in which a trader was injured during a confrontation with law enforcement officers who attempted to remove vendors from an area where they were selling.
Infrastructure Challenges
Many traders say inadequate infrastructure remains one of the biggest obstacles to running a stable business.
Kamara noted that poor security at market facilities leaves traders vulnerable to theft.
“The market is not safe because there is no door,” she said. “Anyone can enter here during the night and we are the ones that suffer for it.”
She called on authorities to improve market infrastructure and create additional space for traders who currently operate outside market buildings.
A dry goods trader at Duala Market described another daily challenge — sanitation.
“Every morning when I come to open my shop, I must first clean mess from my door,” she said. “Sometimes it is dog poo, sometimes it is even human poo.”
She urged the government to fix the market’s doors to prevent unauthorized entry at night and improve sanitary conditions for traders.
Pride in Hard Work
Despite these difficulties, many women expressed pride in their role as providers.
Miss Domah, another trader at Duala Market, said the ability to support her family gives her a strong sense of dignity.
“I feel celebrated because through this business I can feed my family and send my children to school,” she said.
Although her life may look modest compared with those working in government or other formal sectors, Domah said the work she does is equally valuable.
“I don’t drive cars, but the people driving cars and working in government are also working to make money,” she said. “I am selling here to make my own money too. I am strong and proud.”
What the Data Shows
Recent national data helps explain why market women play such a dominant role in Liberia’s economy.
A June 2024 thematic report from the Liberia Institute of Statistics and Geo-Information Services (LISGIS) shows that women are far more concentrated in self-employment than in formal wage employment.
Among women engaged in economic activity during the census reference period:
- 14.2 percent were salary or wage workers
- 54.6 percent were own-account workers
- 31.2 percent were contributing family workers
These categories closely align with informal-sector activity such as market trading.
Financial exclusion remains another major challenge.
According to a UNDP digital socio-economic assessment of Liberia’s informal sector, 95 percent of informal businesses do not have a bank account, limiting access to savings, credit and other financial services.
A Changing Financial Landscape
At the same time, new financial tools may offer opportunities for traders.
The Central Bank of Liberia’s 2024 annual report shows that financial inclusion has risen to 52 percent, driven largely by the expansion of mobile money services.
Registered mobile money subscribers increased to more than 11.5 million by the end of 2024, including nearly 4.75 million female users.
For many market women, mobile money is becoming an important tool for receiving payments and managing cash.
However, affordable credit products designed specifically for small-scale traders remain limited.
The Invisible Trade Economy
Market women also play a crucial role in Liberia’s supply chains.
A 2025 LISGIS report on informal cross-border trade documented 9,150 traders and transporters moving goods across Liberia’s informal border points.
During the survey period alone, informal trade flows were valued at over US$4.1 million, highlighting how much commerce occurs outside formal trade statistics.
Much of the food and household goods sold in Liberia’s markets pass through these informal trade networks before reaching consumers.
Policy Efforts and Remaining Gaps
Government officials say efforts are underway to strengthen support for informal businesses.
In May 2024, the Ministry of Commerce and Industry launched a free registration program targeting 10,000 petty traders, aimed at helping informal businesses obtain legal status and access financial services.
However, many traders remain skeptical, citing past programs that were announced but failed to deliver meaningful support.
A Call for Support
Market women interviewed by The Liberian Investigator said their priorities are clear: better infrastructure, access to credit, and protection from harassment.
Many also emphasized that their work sustains families who have few other economic options.
“We look up to the government,” one trader said. “Many of us do not have husbands or family members we can rely on when we need help. So we are calling on the government to intervene and continue supporting local market women.”
Across Liberia’s markets, that appeal reflects a broader reality.
Behind every stall is a household budget, a child’s school fees, and a family’s survival.
And every morning, before the city fully wakes, thousands of women return to the markets, quietly keeping Liberia’s economy moving.
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