Capitol Hill, Monrovia – Senator Amara Konneh of Gbarpolu County has submitted a bill during this Third Session of the 55th National Legislature that aims to protect the country’s unorganized sector and mandate 25% procurement for Liberian companies doing business there. According to Senator Konneh, the bill is intended to safeguard Liberian workers in the unorganized sector and guarantee that small firms owned by Liberians receive the 25 percent share of public procurement to which they are now entitled.
The livelihoods of market women, petty traders, motorcyclists, block builders, tailors, mechanics, and other informal workers must be at the core of national economic policy, Senator Konneh stressed during a normal session in the Chambers of the Liberian Senate on Thursday. These diligent Liberians comprise almost 68% of our workforce. Despite being the foundation of our economy, they lack structure, security, and access to the economic space that our laws already provide for them,” said Senator Konneh.
The stateman cautioned that Liberians are quickly losing control of businesses that were specifically set aside for them by the Liberianization Act, such as bakeries, transportation, auto repair, small retail, used clothing, petty trading, and block making. In order to modernize and uphold the rights of Liberian informal workers, Senator Konneh promised to propose a new legislative framework known as the Informal Economy Development and Protection Act. He claimed that the proposed Act will uphold the 26 commercial activities set aside solely for Liberians and acknowledge the informal economy as a viable area of national importance.
Additionally, Senator Konneh stated that it will develop designated trading zones with sanitation, security, and order, as well as a uniform system for citizenship verification and registration. Senator Konneh argued that if the proposed Act was passed into law, Liberians would be shielded from harassment, extortion, and arbitrary confiscation, sector associations would be organized, and formalization norms would be established.
He argued that the proposed Act will increase access to microfinance, skill development, and business development assistance while coordinating enforcement between Commerce, Immigration, Local Government, and the Police. In accordance with the Small Business Empowerment Act of Liberia, Senator Konneh also emphasized the long-overlooked mandate that 25% of all public procurements be given to Liberian-owned SMEs.
He noted that US$467.3 million in procurement-eligible spending is included in the current FY2026 National Budget. He pointed out that around US$116.8 million of the total should legally go straight to Liberian businesses. He said Tens of millions of dollars might go straight into the hands of Liberian market women, petty traders, block manufacturers, tailors, mechanics, and microcontractors if we legalize even a small portion of our informal operators. “This is how we transform laws into livelihoods and policies into prosperity.”
Senator Konneh went on to say that strengthening the informal economy is still crucial for maintaining peace, stability, and the advancement of the country. He pointed out that the United States mandates that huge corporations include small businesses in federal contracts; in 2023 alone, this legislation provided US$178.6 billion to small businesses.
However, Senator Konneh declared that he will hold statewide consultations to make sure the law takes into account the opinions of regular Liberians. He stated that he will be interacting with market women, phenomena riders, and yana boys over the coming weeks to make sure their perspectives and experiences directly influence this people’s bill.
