MONROVIA – The President of the Liberia Marketing Association (LMA), Madam Lusu K.S. Crawford, has likened Liberia’s growing garbage and sanitation challenges to the country’s battle against the Ebola epidemic that surged the country years back.
By Emmanuel Weedee-Conway
Speaking Thursday, July 2 during when she appeared before the Plenary of the House of Representatives, the LMA President informed lawmakers that the overwhelming garbage stockpile can compare similarly with the deadly EVD virus that required a united front to defeat.
She pointed out that overcoming the waste crisis will require the same level of community participation, government commitment and sustained financial support.
The LMA President was invited along with the City Mayors of Monrovia City Corporation (MCC) and the Paynesville City Corporation (PCC) to speak to the respective roles in garbage collection and management.
The invitation of the witnesses was prompted by a communication from Bong County Electoral District 2 Representative, James Kolleh, in which he alarmed over the huge stockpile of filth in the country, especially in urban areas.
The Bong County lawmaker contended how the country is being overwhelmed by garbage in almost every street corner and community – with drainages and waterways seeming closed. He feared that if care is not taken, Liberia risked encountering similar flood situation like Ghana recently.
Accordingly, speaking to the concern, Madam Crawford said Liberia’s victory over Ebola was not achieved by medical professionals alone but through the collective efforts of communities across the country.
“When Ebola came, we did not depend only on the medical doctors. We depended on the communities and all Liberians working together. If we want to keep our country clean, everyone must play a role,” said the LMA President.
Madam Crawford warned that poor waste management continues to threaten public health, particularly in densely populated commercial centers like the main city centers – Central Monrovia, Bushrod Island and Paynesville.
She urged government to increase financial support to city authorities responsible for sanitation and waste disposal.
Madam Crawford stressed that effective sanitation cannot be achieved without adequately funding city management institutions and strengthening partnerships with local communities, market associations and residents.
The LMA President disclosed that her organization spends huge amount annually to pay workers responsible for maintaining public markets, demonstrating its commitment to keeping trading centers clean despite limited resources.
She noted that the Association oversees sanitation activities in markets across the country, including the busy Red Light Market, where hundreds of workers are engaged in maintaining cleanliness and ensuring orderly market operations.
Madam Crawford indicated that managing Liberia’s markets requires strong coordination among city authorities, market leadership and community members, emphasizing that no single institution can successfully address the country’s sanitation challenges alone.
She called on citizens to embrace cleanliness as a shared civic responsibility while urging government to provide greater logistical and financial support to municipal authorities tasked with waste collection and environmental management.
The LMA President maintained that sustained investment in sanitation, coupled with active community participation, remains critical to protecting public health, improving market conditions and preventing future environmental and health crises.
City Mayor of the Monrovia City Corporation (MCC), John-Charuk Saah Siafa and Robert Soluntul Bestman, II, Mayor of the Paynesville City Corporation (PCC), alarmed over the lack of sanitation facilities such as temporary dumps and landfill to manage the garbage.
Both mayors called on the House of Representatives for increased budgetary support so as to properly manage the alarming situation.
Following the presentation from the parties, the House set up a committee that will further work with the city management bodies, the LMA, financial experts to seeking a way forward that will address one of the country’s biggest challenges.
In a related development, the House of Representatives has referred the ownership dispute over the West Point Market to its Committees on Peace and Reconciliation, Judiciary, and Local Government for further review, while at the same time upholding a ruling from the court that favors LMA.
The decision followed a public hearing held on Thursday, July 2 after Montserrado County District Representative Emmanuel Dahn invited the LMA and residents of the Township of West Point to present their respective claims of ownership over the market.
During the hearing, the Liberia Marketing Association maintained that the market legally belongs to the association, citing a court ruling in support of its claim.
However, residents of West Point challenged the assertion, arguing that they were never notified of the court proceedings and only became aware of the case after receiving eviction notices.
