Rural Business-women Attribute Losses to Deplorable Road Conditions

Paynesville, Liberia: Scores of rural businesswomen in the commercial hub of Red Light have expressed serious frustration over the losses deplorable road conditions pose to their goods when transporting them to town for business purposes.

The out-of-town businesswomen, most of whom are cassava, plantain, fufu, coconut, palm oil, and banana sellers, are alarmed that the number 2 road corridor in Grand Bassa County has turned deplorable amidst the rainy season, which is leaving their goods damaged before reaching town.

They narrated to K-News on Monday, June 9, 2025, that due to the deplorable road conditions in some parts of the county, vehicles usually transporting their goods now encounter breakdowns, causing huge losses to their income in those food-kind goods.

One of the affected businesswomen, Julia Blah, explained that over three days since putting in for her goods, she is yet to receive them due to reports of the Number 2 road condition, expressing fear of losing her LD$20,000 principal in the plantain, banana, fufu, and other perishable goods.

Madam Blah, who is said to have spent over 20 years with the rural businesswomen, noted that they experience huge business losses, especially during the rainy season. According to her, their goods, when brought late to town, are most times put on credit to avoid heavy losses, something she said affects their profit margin.

"Since Friday my goods were to be here, but the car broke down along the Number 2 in Grand Bassa. The road is terribly deplorable. The pineapple has melted, the banana has rotted, and the cassava and other things have been wasted and spoiled. The dry season can be okay. Let the government try to see about the road condition."

"We are losing in the rainy season." When the goods come, sometimes we put them on credit so that they cannot spoil in our hands. Once our goods arrive on time, people can come to buy, but when they are almost damaged before reaching us, then it becomes a problem," Madam Julia Blah stressed.

For her part, Sarah Koko added that due to the damage to some bridges and the road conditions, drivers are now afraid to get their business from specific areas in Grand Bassa County. She revealed that whenever vehicles transporting their goods get stuck along the road, drivers normally take days to get them repaired.

According to her, the situation is embarrassing for many women who depend on the business for their livelihoods. "When the cars break down, the drivers come into town to get mechanics to fix them before they bring our goods, then everything spoils."

"Now, my Pineapple, seven dozen with ten heads of plantains are still in the bush. When we tell other drivers to get our loads, they refuse because of the road conditions," Koko asserted.

Meanwhile, scores of businesswomen, in one voice, called on the government of Liberia to address the road conditions in some parts of Grand Bassa and other rural counties to help save them from the situation deplorable roads are posing to their businesses.

"Let the government come in and fix those roads and save us from the losses the bad roads are causing for our businesses." At least when the roads are good, we can carry out our businesses fine", they noted.