Published: May 6, 2026
MONROVIA — Two organizations are pressing Liberia’s Environmental Protection Agency to investigate Golden Veroleum Liberia for allegedly destroying more than 1,000 hectares of globally significant forest, violating community land rights and flouting repeated orders from international sustainability bodies.
The Sustainable Development Institute and the Nitrain Community Forest Management Body filed a formal complaint against the palm oil company and held a press conference April 30 in Monrovia, citing what they described as more than a decade of environmental destruction and broken promises to affected communities.
“Since GVL appeared on our land, the company has taken our forests and damaged our livelihoods,” said Dennis Broh of the Nitrain Community Forest Management Body. “For too long we have waited for someone else to hold the company responsible. Today, we call on the government to act.”
SDI Communications Manager Sampson M. Williams said the allegations point to possible breaches of Liberia’s environmental laws and called on the EPA to act. He cited findings by international oversight bodies, including the High Carbon Stock Approach, which mandated GVL to conduct forest restoration, develop a land conservation plan and renegotiate provisional agreements with affected communities.
“To date, GVL has failed to fulfill these conditions,” Williams said.
He said the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil found in 2018 that the company had destroyed sacred sites, coerced communities into agreements and failed to obtain Free, Prior and Informed Consent, prompting a stop-work order. The RSPO lifted the order in 2025 despite incomplete compliance — a decision that drew criticism from more than 70 international civil society organizations.
SDI campaigner James Otto described the violations as longstanding and systemic. “It is no secret that GVL has destroyed Liberia’s rich forests, taken land from communities, and failed to deliver on its promises of development and prosperity,” he said. “Despite being ordered to restore 1,000 hectares of forest, GVL has not complied.”
Otto called for a moratorium on GVL’s expansion until the company remedies environmental damage, complies with national laws and respects community land rights. He also flagged concerns about the timing of some community engagement sessions, saying meetings were held during the Ebola outbreak when public gatherings were restricted, undermining both public safety and the principle of informed consent.
He said independent investigations triggered through a complaint to HCSA confirmed forest clearing and led to GVL acknowledging some wrongdoing, but that restoration efforts had since stalled. “To date, meaningful progress has not been achieved, and the concerns of affected communities remain largely unaddressed,” Otto said.
GVL is controlled by Golden Agri-Resources through its holding company, Verdant Fund. Gaurav Madan of Friends of the Earth US said the company’s international financiers bore responsibility for compelling compliance.
“For over a decade, GVL has disrespected and degraded community forests in Liberia,” Madan said. “Voluntary initiatives have failed to enforce standards and compel the company to correct its actions. GVL’s deforestation and land practices present significant risks.”
SDI and its partners are urging urgent intervention by the EPA and the Liberian government, maintaining that GVL remains noncompliant with both national laws and international standards. Efforts to obtain the company’s response were unsuccessful. Calls to company official Alphonso Koffi over two days went unanswered.
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