Calls Liberia a Rising Investment Destination
Weala, Margibi County – Jeety Rubber and its subsidiary, the Salala Rubber Corporation, have received commendation from top U.S. ambassador in Liberia for their approach of community development and private investment in Weala, Margibi County. U.S. Charge d’Affaires Joseph Zadrozny described the company’s accomplishments as a potent example of how investment, community engagement, and ambition can alter lives and strengthen Liberia’s economy during a visit to the businesses’ operations in Margibi County.
“It takes not just an investor, not just his workers, but the whole community working together,” he said. “Being able to come out and see it work allows me to go back and talk about what’s really happening in Liberia.” “I can encourage more investors, and I would really love to see more Liberian-American investors from the diaspora be encouraged to come back and invest here,” Mr. Zadrozny said.
The envoy claims that the degree of success he witnessed gives him and others a solid foundation for promoting Liberia as a location for additional global economic prospects. According to Mr. Zadrozny, the success of Jeety Rubber and its subsidiary, Salala Rubber Corporation, is largely due to their extensive investment, which goes well beyond the factory floor.
U.S. Charge d’Affaires Joseph Zadrozny
The U.S. envoy praised business magnate Upjit Sachdeva for pursuing such “ambitious goals and following through on them,” despite acknowledging that establishing a company in Liberia is challenging. “I have been here now for close to a year, and I hear of plans and dreams the people want to see. But it’s really exciting to see what is actually being accomplished here in this area,” Mr. Zadrozny said.
The U.S. envoy stated that regardless of whether the rubber will be put on the road, people should focus on what is being done in their communities right now, such as expanding schools, hospitals, and other facilities, building factories, and witnessing the production of rubber. The fact that a large portion of that is being sold to the United States of America and shipped to different companies to generate high-quality goods, which begins right here in Liberia, makes me extremely happy. I really appreciate that.
In August 2024, the Belgian-French agricultural conglomerate Socfin sold the Salala Rubber Corporation, Liberia’s fourth-largest rubber producer, to Jeety Rubber, a subsidiary of the Jeety Conglomerate. The previous owner had shut down operations due to violent worker protests over housing and healthcare conditions, which left over 800 workers unemployed. The plantation has subsequently resumed full operations under its new owner, business magnate Upjit Singh Sachdeva (Jeety), who called the reopening “a new chapter for SRC, the workers, and the entire country.”
Over 1,500 people are currently employed by the businesses, including contractors and staff from Weala and the adjacent Margibi County towns. Nine deep-bore wells that serve over 6,000 people, an ongoing expansion of their 50-bed clinic to include four operating rooms and a dedicated eye clinic, a US$10,000 annual district scholarship fund, a daily feeding program, and more are just a few examples of the community investments made by Jeety Rubber and SRC.
Mr. Zadrozny visited the manufacturing floor, a maternity unit and clinic, and classrooms ranging from early childhood education to secondary education, including the scientific lab. The U.S. envoy noted that what he observed reinforced his view that the investment was succeeding because it extended beyond the factory gate.
The entire community must cooperate, not simply the investor and his employees. The hospital’s delivery room caught my eye. He remarked, “I saw the science labs, the early education classrooms, and the higher school education.” When a factory is growing, you need workers who are proficient in maths and science to fill open positions. They are all important steps.”
The influence of Jeety Rubber and its subsidiary was commended by numerous international envoys and diplomats, including Mr. Zadrozny. When Slovakai Ambassador Martin Podstavek visited the companies in February, he hailed their investments as unmistakable proof of Liberia’s favourable business environment and expanding investment potential.
In a similar vein, when Indian Ambassador Manoj Bihari Verma visited the facility in March 2025, he praised Sachdeva for his efforts to upgrade SRC’s infrastructure, which includes worker housing, schools, and hospitals, and declared that his government would look into undergraduate scholarship opportunities for Margibi County District Five residents.
The diplomatic attention comes as the companies have also been drawing formal recognition from within Liberia’s own agricultural sector. In late March, the Rubber Planters Association of Liberia (RPAL) and the Rubber Development Fund Incorporated (RDFI) honored Sachdeva at a ceremony marked by cultural symbolism, robing him in traditional Liberian attire and conferring upon him the Liberian name “Kolleh,” meaning “a bright and good man.”
The certificate, signed by RPAL President Wilhelmina Mulbah Siaway and RDFI Chairman J. Tokpah Mulbah, cited the company’s exceptional contributions to Liberia’s rubber sector and its unwavering support to smallholder farmers during a period of limited market access, when other buyers suspended rubber purchases in protest of the government’s regulated farm-gate pricing policy.
The association noted that Jeety Rubber continued purchasing rubber throughout the disruption, positioning the company as a critical market outlet for thousands of farmers who depend on rubber production for their livelihoods. The company has also extended interest-free loans to more than 100 farmers since 2025 to support farm replanting and expansion, with repayments structured through gradual deductions from future rubber sales.
In remarks earlier, Mr. Sachdeva noted that his long-term vision is to transform Liberia into a tire-producing country, noting that he has set his eyes on 2028 to produce the country’s first tires. According to Mr. Sachdeva, the factory is currently producing five tons of processed rubber per hour, requiring between 200 to 225 tons of raw rubber daily to sustain operations. He noted that a major expansion project is underway to expand the factory’s production capacity to 550 tons per day.
Upjit Singh Sachdeva
“My target to complete the expansion is August, but I am keeping September open,” he explained, while also citing the ongoing Middle East conflict and disruptions in global shipping routes as additional concerns affecting operations and logistics. Mr. Sachdeva used the occasion to issue a passionate appeal to Liberian rubber farmers, producers, and workers to support the initiative by ensuring a stable supply of raw rubber.
“If I can get that rubber, me and my family will make sure that the dream of every Liberian, a dream they have carried for over 100 years, will become reality in this factory,” he declared. “That dream is to produce made-in-Liberia tires by 2028. However, achieving the historic goal depends entirely on access to sufficient quantities of locally sourced rubber. If I cannot get the rubber, I will not be in a position to make tires.”
