Ganta Border: More Going Out than Coming In Since Guinea Coup d'Etat

There is a notable decline in movement of goods at the Ganta Main Border from the Guinean side, since the September 6, 2021 coup d’etat that toppled the Prof. Alpha Condé.

The customs authority is tight-lipped over the current revenue intake because, according to them, they are not clothed with the authority to speak.

However, a customs agent told the Daily Observer that the movement of goods has been dropping gradually and lowering the monthly revenue intake. This has also resulted in a decline in border services

During an observation visit by this reporter to the border to ascertain the facts, there were fewer lorries entering from Guinea with goods compared to July and August, the months immediately preceding the coup d’etat.

Most of the business people and those involved in importation of goods are yet to comment, but an insider told the Daily Observer that agriculture produce from Guinea are still coming into Liberia sporadically.

We are still receiving some used cars on a daily basis, but the movement of cotton goods or assorted goods have dropped and we hope things improve," said one of the examiners, who asked to remain anonymous. 

Ganta Port of Entry is one of the most lucrative areas of revenue collection in Liberia and a leading rural port.

Even though there is no reported insecurity near the border that could frighten movement of goods, many believe that the recent situation in Guinea could be the cause of the slow movement.

“People are traveling with ease, but the level of traveling has also slowed,” Garmai, a petty trader who sells at the border, told this paper.

“When the border is moving we can know from the way people buy our food and other things we sell at this border,” another petty trader said.

Amidst this situation, the number of Guineans flowing into Ganta to purchase their basic needs has increased of late. 

Each day, hundreds of bags of rice, gallons of vegetable oil and gallons of gasoline are procured from Ganta and crossed over into Guinea.

Despite the condition, normal activity is ongoing in Ganta and its environs, as well as the bordering towns.