PUTU, Grand Gedeh County – As logging vehicles proceed to haul timber from the forests of Putu, residents of the neighborhood say they’re left behind in worsening poverty, with little to point out for years of monetary commitments linked to the area’s pure assets.
By Esther Natelia Scott (Smile FM, Grand Gedeh) & Emmanuel Weedee-Conway (FPA)
On the heart of their rising frustration is an unanswered query: The place is the event cash meant for the neighborhood?
Residents level to a latest controversy surrounding US$111,000 allegedly disbursed by the Euro Logging Firm for neighborhood growth. Locals say the funds have failed to supply significant enhancements in training, well being, clear water, or livelihoods.
“We don’t have protected ingesting water. Our faculties are in poor situation. The one water supply we had was broken by the logging firm. Our neighborhood is struggling whereas others are benefiting from what belongs to us,” mentioned ladies’s advocate Evelyn Shaka.
Shaka criticized what she described as a damaged promise, one which displays a wider sample throughout Liberia the place overseas firms revenue from pure assets whereas communities obtain little profit. She attributed the issue to poor management and an absence of oversight.
Amid rising discontent, former Chairman of the Group Forest Growth Committee (CFDC), Samuel Waylee, has come beneath scrutiny. Nonetheless, Waylee defended his management when contacted by FrontPage Africa.
“Sure, cash was acquired and cash was used,” Waylee mentioned. “We spent on peacebuilding efforts, scholarships, agriculture, and serving to the needy. Studies have been made to the FDA, lawmakers, and the Union.”
Waylee, who served as CFDC chairman from February 2022 till mid-2023, acknowledged that his tenure was marked by inner disputes, which finally led to calls from the Grand Gedeh Legislative Caucus and residents for a change in management. A brand new CFDC management has now been in place for the previous three months.
“There was battle – claims and counterclaims. However we did what we might to take care of peace and assist the individuals,” he added.
Regardless of these explanations, many residents say they’ve but to see the tangible growth they have been promised. They proceed to name for primary requirements together with piped water, improved faculties, higher healthcare, and highway entry to their farmlands.
Observers say the Putu scenario underscores deeper issues in Liberia’s neighborhood forest governance system. Though legal guidelines require firms to barter social agreements and share income with host communities, weak accountability, overlapping oversight, and poor communication typically derail the method.
Requires an impartial investigation into the Euro Logging funds are intensifying. Civil society organizations and residents have urged authorities to conduct a full audit of CFDC’s monetary data and reassess the corporate’s compliance with its social agreements.
Within the meantime, the forests of Putu proceed to be cleared. However for the individuals who stay there, the financial advantages stay elusive. As one resident put it, “The bushes are gone, however our struggling stays.”
Makes an attempt by FrontPageAfrica to get to the corporate as much as press time proved futile.
