VZCZCXRO1081
RR RUEHMA RUEHPA
DE RUEHMV #0896/01 2051608
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 241608Z JUL 07
FM AMEMBASSY MONROVIA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 8972
INFO RUEHZK/ECOWAS COLLECTIVE
RUCPDOC/DEPT OF COMMERCE WASHDC
RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASH DC
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 1441
RHEHAAA/WHITE HOUSE WASHINGTON DC

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 MONROVIA 000896 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR AF/W AOKEDIJI, AF/EPS CTRIMBLE, EB/ESC 
SSAARNIO, INR/AA BGRAVES 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: AID ECON LI PGOV
SUBJECT: LIBERIA: INDEPENDENCE DAY TO MARK THE ECONOMIC 
REBIRTH OF GRAND BASSA COUNTY 
 
REF: A. MONROVIA 780 
     ¶B. MONROVIA 840 
 
¶1. SUMMARY:  In advance of celebrations marking the 160th 
anniversary of Liberian Independence on July 26, Emboffs 
traveled to Grand Bassa county on July 6-7, visiting the 
capital of Buchanan, Liberia's second largest port, and the 
Liberian Agricultural Company (LAC), the second largest 
rubber plantation in the country and the site of legislative 
by election runoff on July 24 (Ref B).  Independence Day 
celebrations will attract government and diplomatic 
dignitaries to Buchanan on July 25-26.  In the future, Grand 
Bassa county's economy is likely to be dominated by three key 
commodities, iron ore, rubber and oil palm, but for the 
moment economic activity has not met the expectations of a 
growing influx of job seekers.  END SUMMARY. 
 
---------- 
BACKGROUND 
---------- 
 
¶2. Grand Bassa county is located about 120km southeast of 
Monrovia, along the coastline of the Atlantic Ocean.  The 
county capital, Buchanan, is Liberia's second city.  The road 
from Monrovia to Buchanan is mostly asphalt but has many 
badly damaged sections due to lack of maintenance.  It 
currently takes about three hours to navigate the heavily 
potholed highway.  The World Bank has committed funding to 
rehabilitate this stretch of highway.  Work is scheduled to 
begin in October. 
 
¶3. Prior to the civil war, Grand Bassa county enjoyed a 
vibrant economic atmosphere and a bustling harbor, hosting 
companies such as the Liberian American Mining Company 
(LAMCO), the rubber plantation at LAC, the palm oil 
plantation, Liberian Incorporated (LIBINC), and several 
logging companies.  For much of the Taylor era, Buchanan was 
the Oriental Timber Company's (OTC) base of operations. 
During the war, the area was first controlled by the National 
Patriotic Front of Liberia (NPFL), then by West African 
peacekeepers of ECOMOG, and in 2003 by the Movement for 
Democracy in Liberia (MODEL).  During the latter period, 
Buchanan's productive infrastructure was massively looted and 
completely destroyed, including the total dismantling of a 
$50 million plywood factory in 2004.  As a consequence, many 
companies vacated the county and the local economy became 
largely dormant.  According to the Buchanan Port Authority, 
the port of Buchanan has received only one large cargo vessel 
in the last two years. 
 
¶4. Independence Day festivities July 25-26 are meant to 
highlight the rebirth of Grand Bassa's economy.  On July 25, 
President Johnson Sirleaf will dedicate several donor-funded 
development projects and preside over a ceremonial launch of 
the Acelor Mittal Steel project.  Activities on July 26 
include an award ceremony, a parade, an inspection of new AFL 
troops, and a reception for government, diplomatic and 
community leaders at the Buchanan fairgrounds.  Liberia's 
first fireworks show in twenty years will occur in Buchanan 
July 26 (and Monrovia on July 28). 
 
------- 
ECONOMY 
------- 
 
¶5. Grand Bassa's economic revival will likely be driven 
initially by three traditional economic engines: iron ore, 
rubber and palm oil.  The Mittal Steel concession includes a 
mining and processing project in Nimba county, with 
infrastructure upgrades to port and rail facilities in Grand 
Bassa (Ref A).  Thus far, Mittal has only introduced minimal 
support staff to the region, and most skilled workers are 
likely to come from Monrovia.  UNMIL Civil Affairs County 
Coordinator Lino Sciarra told Emboffs that there has already 
been an influx of people to the region hoping for jobs from 
the Mittal project, but the number of local jobs will likely 
fall significantly short of expectations. 
 
¶6. LAC has controlled the second largest rubber plantation 
concession (approximately 600,000 acres) in Liberia since 
¶1959.  At present the company employs about 4,000 people as 
employees and subcontractors.  The Belgian-owned LAC is 
seeking to expand but has encountered resistance from 
villagers in the surrounding area.  Sciarra said LAC is often 
accused of exhibiting a "mini-state" mentality, seeking to 
 
MONROVIA 00000896  002 OF 003 
 
 
operate beyond government bounds in collusion with local 
judges and officials reportedly sponsored by the company. 
 
¶7. There is potential for economic growth in other sectors as 
well, particularly oil palm.  LIBINC (commonly known as the 
Palm Bay Plantation) is the largest privately owned oil palm 
plantation in Liberia, covering 162,000 acres with roughly 
48,000 acres planted with palm trees.  The plantation had a 
modern mill and provided jobs for 3,000 citizens before the 
war, but has been looted and abandoned for the last several 
years.  A British Firm, Equatorial Biofuels Plc, is 
reportedly seeking to purchase all or part of the plantation 
as part of its MOU with the GOL for oil palm development. 
 
¶8. Economic development will continue to be constrained by 
the dilapidated state of the once thriving port of Buchanan. 
Port Operations Chief George Astley told Emboffs that the 
last significant cargo vessel left the port almost two years 
ago.  The commercial wharf is 300 meters long with a depth of 
8 meters, but there are no channel markers, navigational 
aids, tug service, cargo handling equipment, or fire and 
safety equipment.  A derelict ship leans across the foot of 
the wharf and the previous crane equipment has been 
destroyed.  Part of Mittal Steel's agreement includes the 
renovation of the iron ore key, dredging the entrance channel 
and repairing the fuel jetty in Buchanan, but there are 
currently no proposals for renovation of the National Port 
Authority commercial side of the port. 
 
-------- 
SECURITY 
-------- 
 
¶9. The security situation in Grand Bassa remains stable, but 
tense, according to UNMIL representatives.  Small protests 
have occurred in recent months when money flowing to 
ex-combatants was slow to arrive.  On June 20, 225 
ex-combatants rioted in front of the UNDP offices when their 
school fees had been delayed three months.  Another group of 
150 stormed a donor-funded computer training school when they 
were not given a set of tools upon graduation.  The real 
uncertainty, according to UNPOL Chief Andrew Shilelo, will 
occur in September when the GOL, rather than the UN, will 
become responsible for the payments to these demobilized 
groups.  There are currently over 1,500 ex-combatants 
involved in vocational skills training in Buchanan. 
 
¶10. LAC is also a focal point for security incidents, 
primarily skirmishes between illegal rubber tappers and LAC's 
private security arm, the Plantation Protection Department 
(PPD), made up of 60 officers, many ex-combatants or ex-AFL, 
several of whom reportedly have weapons.  A Bangladeshi 
battalion is stationed at LAC, and UNPOL helps patrol the 
area, but there are only 58 Liberian National Police (LNP) 
officers in the whole county, most in the capital Buchanan. 
UNMIL has a military strength in the county of roughly 800 
troops. 
 
¶11. Population pressures will continue to challenge 
authorities, according to Sciarra.  Many people have returned 
to the region since the end of the war, with many new 
arrivals looking for jobs from the well-publicized Mittal 
deal.  Sciarra said lodging prices have risen from $10 to $25 
a night in the last year, and criminality is increasing. 
UNMIL burned a 700kg cache of cocaine in June that had been 
recovered from various arrests -- mostly Nigerians -- in the 
county over the course of the last few months.  As LAC and 
Mittal (and possibly oil palm producers) ramp up operations 
and wall off their concessions, squatters are likely to seek 
redress, and UNMIL is working with the companies and 
communities to strike a balance between the security of 
private concessions and humanitarian concerns from 
displacement. 
 
------- 
COMMENT 
------- 
 
¶12. The revival of the once active Grand Bassa county will 
require not only investment, but good governance as well. 
Weak local government coupled with an influx of labor and 
large companies without any counterpart for oversight on 
issues such as labor and environment, could lead to 
instability in the region.  In addition, expectations for the 
impact of Mittal Steel on the area are exceedingly high, with 
 
MONROVIA 00000896  003 OF 003 
 
 
many government officials (and even a few donors) expecting 
the company to completely renovate the road, rail, and port 
infrastructure as public goods.  Mittal's footprint will be 
large, but the scale of need is much larger. 
 
Booth