The awarding of 8,000 job permits to foreigners under the supervision of Labour Minister Cllr. Cooper Kruah has raised serious concerns within the Plenary of the Liberian Senate.
This issue was addressed during the 14th day sitting of the second session of the 55th Legislature on Thursday, March 6, 2025, following a verbal complaint from Grand Gedeh County Senator Thomas Yaya Nimely.
Senator Nimely urged the Senate to investigate the issuance of these job permits granted to non-Liberians. He expressed the need for the Labour Minister to clarify which specific job permits were awarded to foreign nationals to determine if Liberians are being unfairly denied access to jobs that rightfully belong to them.
“We had an engagement with the Minister regarding the issuance of 8,000 job permits to non-Liberians. However, the report lacks specificity concerning the permits granted to foreigners,” Senator Nimely stated.
In response to his presentation, the President Pro Tempore of the Liberian Senate, Nyonblee Karnga-Lawrence, instructed the Senate Secretariat to communicate with Minister Kruah. They requested that he provide details about the job titles and types of permits awarded to foreigners, with a deadline set for the following Tuesday.
While the Senate reports 8,000 permits, Labour Minister Cllr. Cooper Kruah announced in January that the ministry’s Alien Registration Department had processed and issued 10,974 work permits to foreign nationals in 2024. He noted that this number signifies a substantial contribution to the country’s workforce and economy.
The Minister’s report indicated that out of the total permits, 9,468 were regular work permits, 988 were gratis permits, and 556 were issued to individuals from both ECOWAS and non-ECOWAS member states. Further breakdowns revealed that 8,980 permits were granted to non-applicants, while 2,699 were issued to non-ECOWAS applicants. Among ECOWAS applicants, 438 permits were granted to individuals from Guinea and Ivory Coast.
Minister Kruah’s actions have drawn significant public criticism, with some insiders accusing him of commercializing jobs that should be available to Liberian citizens.
“It seems the Minister is straying from his responsibilities. The Ministry of Labour should serve the public, not act as a revenue-generating entity for the government. It is unfortunate when the Minister boasts about generating over a million dollars through job permits,” expressed a source within the Ministry of Labour, who requested to remain anonymous.
By Emmanuel Weedee-Conway
