Liberia's Vice President, Joseph N. Boakai has welcomed the U.S. based Pantropic to Liberia, noting that its operations will touch the lives of rural dwellers, and help boost Government's Poverty Reduction Strategy.

Pantropic is a palm kernel and palm oil production company.

He said Pantropic's operations are also a boost to Government's plan to strengthen cooperative societies, now that the Liberia Produce Marketing Corporation in the doldrums.

Vice President Boakai made the remarks Tuesday at his Capitol Building Office when the Chief Executive Officer of Pantropic, Mr. Max Mattison, accompanied by the Founder and Executive Director of the Foundation for Women, Deborah Lindholm, and two other investors from Canada and South Africa, paid a courtesy call on him.

Vice President Boakai said palm kernel and palm oil production have always been major income generation activities for rural dwellers, and that Pantropic will provide a ready market for them and hence further improve their lives.

He assured that with oil palm plantations in Foya District, Kpatawee in Bong County, Zleh Town and Decoris as well as local farmers, among others, the Pantropic project will flourish in Liberia.

Briefing the Vice President earlier, the Chhief Executive Officer of Pantropic, Mr. Mattison disclosed that his company plans to establish a U.S 1 Billion Biofeul Refining Plant in Liberia.

Mr. Mark Mattison said the plant to be established in Buchanan, Grand Bassa Couny, will produce biofeul and food from palm oil, palm kernel oil and coconut oil for local consumption and export.

He said the bio-diesel so produced can be used for the generation of electrical power, and by trucks and tractors, adding that his company hopes to refine an estimated 60 million gallons of biofeul per annum.

Mr. Mattison said he will work with the Cooperative Development Agency in implementing this project.

"The money will come into the Cooperative Development Agency. We have enough money in that project to build extractors near oil palm forests in existing cooperative areas. Anybody wishing to work with us has to come through the Cooperative Development Agency. It is a cooperative development program," Mr. Mattison said.

FFW Pledges Collaboration

Meanwhile, the Founder and Executive Director of the California, U.S. based Foundation for Women (FFW), Madam Deborah Lindholm, has pledged her foundation's willingness to collaborate with investors to help lift Liberia from the scourge of poverty.

She said in addition to empowering women by providing them with micro-loans, her organization was also engaged in educating children and providing skills training for her members, and assured that they would do whatever they can to help transform the lives of ordinary Liberians.

Madam Lindholm made the pledge on Tuesday, when she paid a courtesy call on Vice President Joseph N. Boakai at his Capitol Building office.

The Foundation for Women Founder was accompanied to the Vice President's office by officials of the California based company Pantropic and two other investors from Canada and South Africa.

"It is a wonderful opportunity for us to meet and collaborate on how to do things better than they are being done now," Madam Lindholm said.

She assured that members of the Foundation for Women in Lofa County would produce and sell palm oil and palm kernel oil to help boost the project being undertaken by Pantropic and the Cooperative Development Agency.

Madam Lindholm disclosed that the FFW which is already in nine counties, is about to move into the tenth county.

She intimated that a Canadian has pledged to raise up to one million dollars to boost the Foundation for Women's micro-credit program in Liberia.

In remarks, Vice President Boakai outlined the immeasurable contributions the Foundation for Women was making to Liberia's recovery program.

He observed that the Foundation for Women's micro-loan program is transforming the lives of women across the country in no small measure, and said the Liberian Government would always be grateful to Madam Lindholm and her foundation.