Published: January 16, 2026
CAPITOL HILL, Monrovia — Gbarpolu County Sen. Amara M. Konneh on Thursday challenged President Joseph Nyuma Boakai’s call for Liberians to “own the economy,” arguing that ordinary citizens are steadily losing ground in the very business sectors that national law reserves exclusively for Liberians.
Speaking in plenary at the opening of the third session of the 55th National Legislature, Konneh, chairman of the Senate Public Accounts and Audits Committee, said repeated presidential messaging about economic ownership has not matched the reality in markets and communities where informal workers earn their living.
“Colleagues, the truth is simple and uncomfortable,” Konneh told fellow senators. “The President spoke yesterday at some event … and he talked about Liberians taking control of their economy; every president says that, but the truth is Liberians are losing control of the very sector that the Liberianization Act explicitly reserves for them.”
Konneh’s remarks came a day after Boakai urged Liberians in the diaspora to move beyond remittances and charity and play a direct role in driving the economy through investment, job creation and business development.
The president made the appeal Wednesday, Jan. 14, during a diaspora farewell program at the Executive Mansion. He said government alone cannot provide sustainable employment and encouraged Liberians abroad to invest in both small- and large-scale enterprises, especially in communities lacking basic services.
“Your coming back is not just coming back to your home, but to invest and build your own home and business,” Boakai said, according to the Executive Mansion’s official Facebook page.
‘Bread-and-butter’ sectors under pressure
Konneh said Boakai’s message may be well-intentioned, but it ignores what he called the steady erosion of Liberian participation in petty trading and other small businesses that provide daily income for families.
He listed used clothing, small retail businesses, transportation, auto repair, block making, bakeries and other “bread-and-butter” activities — sectors that the Liberianization Act reserves for citizens.
“These are businesses that feed families and sustain communities,” he said. “Those are the real bread-and-butter issues that we are discussing — and we must stop people trying to exploit them politically.”
Konneh accused the state of failing to enforce the Liberianization Act, creating space for foreign business interests to dominate areas meant for Liberians. He singled out Chinese traders, alleging they are increasingly entering informal markets and displacing local operators.
“Enforcement is fragmented, market building is weak, harassment is covered, and our people are being pushed out of their own economy,” he said.
Bill targets informal economy, enforcement gaps
The former finance and development planning minister said he will introduce what he called a landmark bill aimed at protecting Liberia’s informal economy and strengthening enforcement of existing laws meant to preserve economic space for Liberians.
In a press statement issued alongside his announcement, Konneh said the legislation — The Informal Economy Development and Protection Act — will modernize and enforce protections for informal workers while also ensuring Liberian-owned small businesses receive the procurement share guaranteed under current law.
Konneh said the bill will recognize the informal economy as a legitimate sector of national importance and place informal workers, including market women, petty traders, motorcyclists, block makers, tailors, mechanics, and other small operators, at the center of national economic policy.
“These hardworking Liberians make up nearly 68 percent of our labor force,” he said. “They are the backbone of our economy, yet they operate without protection, without structure, and without access to the economic space our laws already guarantee them.”
What the proposal would do
According to Konneh, the bill would strengthen enforcement of the 26 business activities reserved for Liberians and establish practical tools to limit foreign takeovers in protected sectors.
He said the proposed law would include:
- Recognition of the informal economy as a legitimate national sector
- Enforcement of the 26 business activities reserved for Liberians
- A unified registration and citizenship verification system
- Designated trading zones with sanitation, security and order
- Organization of sector associations and standards for gradual formalization
- Protection against harassment, extortion and arbitrary confiscation
- Coordinated enforcement involving Commerce, Immigration, local government and police
- Expanded access to microfinance, skills training and business development support
“Our people are being pushed out of their own economy because the State has failed to enforce its own laws,” Konneh said. “This bill will change that.”
Procurement rule: Konneh cites US$116.8 million for Liberian SMEs
Konneh also highlighted what he called a long-neglected legal requirement: 25 percent of public procurement should go to Liberian-owned small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
He said the FY2026 national budget includes about US$467.3 million in procurement-eligible spending, meaning roughly US$116.8 million should, by law, be awarded to Liberian businesses.
“If we formalize even a fraction of our informal operators, tens of millions of dollars can flow directly into the hands of Liberian market women, petty traders, block makers, tailors, mechanics, and microcontractors,” he said. “This is how we turn policy into prosperity and legislation into livelihoods.”
Jobs, stability and ‘economic justice’
Konneh argued that protecting informal livelihoods is essential for economic growth, peace and national stability, warning that widespread exclusion from economic opportunity can deepen social frustration.
“If we want peace, we must protect people’s livelihoods. If we want growth, we must empower our own citizens,” he said. “The informal economy is where most Liberians work, and it must be organized, protected, and empowered.”
He pointed to the United States as an example of how procurement rules can strengthen small business participation, citing federal policies that delivered US$178.6 billion to small firms in 2023.
“Liberia can do the same,” Konneh said. “By enforcing our 25 percent SME procurement mandate, we can create thousands of jobs and return economic space to Liberians.”
Consultations planned nationwide
Konneh said he will begin nationwide consultations in the coming weeks to ensure the bill reflects the realities faced by ordinary Liberians and informal workers.
“Over the next few weeks, I will be engaging yana boys, pen-pen riders and market women to ensure their experiences and ideas directly inform this people’s bill,” he said.
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