Buchanan –The increasing prices of major commodities and services in Grand Bassa County is posing hardship for locals, according to a to local residents.
Prices of gasoline and fuel have tripled with the current retail price put at LD$460 to LD$500. The price of gasoline and fuel has caused impacted transportation and food prices.
Prices of gasoline and diesel have increased in the county impacting transportation and prices of other major commodities that are moved to rural communities in the county
Residents say it’s the first time major commodities prices are skyrocketing at this level in the county since the inception of Madam Ellen Johnson Sirleaf presidency in 2005.
They are blaming it on the delay into the electoral process, which fate will be decided by the Supreme Court in a couple of days. The conclusion of the presidential election has been delayed due to a rejection of results from the first round of voting on October 10 by opposition Liberty Party. The party is claiming “irregularities and fraud”.
Jackson Doe, a resident of Peace community in Buchanan, said, “citizens are now living in Liberia as if they are still experiencing the civil war days”.
“This country is getting too hard just like we are having war,” he said. “Even half bag of rice has climbed up to two LD$2,000.”
Doe said that some families can no longer have food on a daily basis because there is no job or money to keep them up.
Samuel Dayougar, a gasoline retailer, told LocalVoicesLiberia that the prices of gasoline and fuel are climbing because of theuncontrollably increasing exchange rate between the United States and Liberian dollars.
“Can you Imagine, the United States dollars rate is $1 to LD$127 and if you want to buy United States dollars the rate is LD$129 or 130,” he said, asserting that if the US rate keeps climbing, the prices of things will be higher than what it is on now.
Marie Jones says women who are now breadwinners of their families amid these difficulties in the county are feeling the brunt. Jones says her business is struggling because she receives fewer customers these days.
“All these things are happening because this one election is yet to finish, they are saying the matter is in court but we the citizens are the ones suffering from hardships,” she said angrily.
Alpha Daffae Senkpeni is a multi-media journalist and fact checker with over 18 years’ experience. Senkpeni is the Director and Senior Editor of Local Voices Liberia (LVL) – a network that operates Liberia’s major independent fact checking desk. LVL has implemented several media development projects funded by USAID and the European Union. Since 2021, he has led the organization’s implementation of fact checking projects including fact checking workshops for journalists, media literacy programs, and community forums – all geared toward countering disinformation and expanding the culture of fact checking.
Senkpeni holds a law degree from the Louis Arthur Grimes School of Law and a BSc in Mass Communications from the University of Liberia. He’s also an alumnus of the Radio Netherlands Training Center (RNTC) with a certificate in Digital Content to Counter Disinformation. He has also attended several fact checking trainings.
