When the President announced the creation of 70,000 jobs, the claim didn’t spark a celebration; it sparked a search party. From the bustling markets of Duala to the farming hubs of Ganta, the same question echoes: Where are they? If 70,000 people had suddenly found steady work, the pulse of the nation would have changed. Poverty would blink. Local markets would hum with new disposable income. Instead, the national mood remains one of quiet desperation. These questions aren’t born of political mischief—they are born of the empty pockets and idle hands of the Liberian people.
The Mathematics of Misery
The government’s math simply doesn’t square with the data on the ground. According to international benchmarks, Liberia remains trapped in a cycle of extreme deprivation:
• The Survival Threshold: Over 70% of our people live on less than $3.65 a day.
• The Service Gap: Half the population lacks the “multidimensional” basics—no reliable light, no modern medicine, no quality classrooms.
• The Shadow Economy: More than three-quarters of workers are trapped in the “informal sector,” a polite term for precarious street hawking and day labor that offers no security and no future.
A “job boom” in a landscape this desolate is not just unlikely—it is a statistical miracle that the private sector is currently unequipped to perform.
Where is the Proof?
The private sector in Liberia is currently too fragile to absorb such a massive influx of labor. We have seen no new industrial corridors, no manufacturing surge, and no influx of foreign direct investment that would account for such a figure.
If these 70,000 jobs exist, they are invisible. To move beyond skepticism, the administration must provide:
1. A Sectoral Audit: Which industries hired these workers?
2. The Nature of Work: Are these permanent, taxable roles, or temporary political placements?
3. Third-Party Verification: Can the World Bank or independent economists find these workers?
Without a ledger of names and companies, “70,000” is just a number scrawled on a whiteboard—not a lifeline for the people.
The Danger of Deception
Clinging to inflated statistics is a dangerous game. When a government confuses “activity” with “achievement,” it stops looking for real solutions. By insisting the job market is healthy, the administration risks ignoring the urgent reforms we actually need: a genuine national employment strategy, a focus on agro-processing, and a business climate that doesn’t scare away capital.
Liberia cannot fix a crisis it refuses to admit.
A Call for Clarity
Leadership is not defined by the height of a promise, but by the weight of the truth. If 70,000 jobs have truly been created, show us the payrolls. If the number was an “optimistic projection” or a clerical error, have the courage to correct the record.
Until then, these 70,000 jobs will remain a ghost story—told by the powerful, but never seen by the people.
