Liberia projects quick economic recovery from Ebola virus

Liberian Vice President Joseph Boakai stressed his confidence in Liberia's recovery from the consequences of Ebola virus crisis last year and a return to positive economic growth in the West African Nation of $3.8 million.

The speech was made last week during the U.S.-Liberia Trade and Investment Forum. The effects of the Ebola virus, which killed more than 11,000 people in West Africa, was one of the main topics discussed.

Liberia’s annual gross domestic product's (GDP) growth rate fell from over 8 percent in 2013 to under 1 percent in 2014, and it is expected to expand by 0.9 percent this year. During the crisis, APM Terminals Liberia kept the port open and operating, handling incoming relief cargo as well as donating a 100-bed Ebola treatment center, monitoring staff health and providing other relief services.

Furthermore, APM Terminals Liberia Managing Director George Adjei observed that Liberia’s recovery was well underway, as cargo throughput at APM's Free Port of Monrovia, which handles more than 90 percent of Liberian foreign trade, has surged by 30 percent in the first half of 2015.

APM Terminals Liberia, which has operated Monrovia Free Port since winning a 25-year concession in 2010, also has embarked on the second phase of a $120 million investment port upgrade and modernization project.