Labour Minister, Cooper W. Kruah, Sr. says he looks forward to seeing the renegotiated contract between the Management of Liberia Agriculture Company (LAC) and the Liberian government, elevating Liberians to senior managerial positions. The Labour Minister stressed that doing so would help management save the cost of hiring foreign experts and enable Liberians steer the affairs of the company, after the eventual departure of foreign managers.
Minister Kruah made the statement when the senior management team of LAC paid him a courtesy call on October 28 for a briefing on the ongoing renegotiation of their new investment portfolio with the government. He emphasized that the Government of Liberia, through the Ministry of Labour, was fully committed to encouraging investment to empower its citizenry, in support of President Joseph Nyuma Boakai’s “ARREST Agenda for Inclusive Development (AAID).
The Labour Minister called on the company to ensure the recruitment of more female staff, adding that the government prioritizes gender equality as the bedrock of national growth and development. Minister Kruah outlined a series of initiatives by his administration, including the launch of the Occupational Health and Safety Program and the Liberia Works Platform, aimed at protecting workers and job seekers in making career decisions.
He further informed the LAC delegation of the ministry’s recent decision to increase the annual fees of Alien Work Permits. Minister Kruah also called on the LAC management to develop a new model of transporting liters by workers from station to another, in a bid to reduce the physical burden they face.
He expressed his Ministry’s preparedness to work with the LAC Management in promoting a decent work environment. Earlier, LAC General Manager, Regis Helsmoortel, informed the Labour Minister of his entity’s willingness to provide more opportunities to Liberian staff, but cautioned them to take advantage of the opportunities with enthusiasm.
The LAC executive added that: “It is better to recruit from within,” noting that several Liberian staff have been elevated to strategic senior managerial positions, with some currently deployed at LAC facilities in Sierra Leone, Ghana, Cameroon, and Nigeria. Helsmootel disclosed that as of this year, the company has recruited a little over ninety Liberian workers, bringing the present local staff to 3,300, with just eleven expatriate employees. Meanwhile, the Labour Minister has disclosed the resumption of his nationwide assessment tour of major investment and business entities shortly, commencing with the Liberia Agricultural Company (LAC), based in Grand Bassa County.
