GBARNGA — On Gbarnga's crowded streets, the roar of motorbikes drowns out the ambitions of hundreds of young men who once dreamed of classrooms, not handlebars. With scarce jobs and rising costs, commercial bike riding has become their last resort -- a lifeline for survival but a dead end for their future.
Among them is 26-year-old Papa Kollie, who once aspired to be an agriculturalist. A standout on St. Mark's Lutheran High School's quiz team, he graduated in 2018 determined to help feed Liberia. But with parents surviving as subsistence farmers and no money for college, his ambition stalled.
"My parents are poor," Kollie said. "I have to take the responsibility for my school."
By 2023, he had swapped textbooks for a rented, secondhand motorbike under a "work-and-pay" scheme that allows him to earn while paying off the bike's cost. Yet his daily income rarely stretches far enough.
Follow us on WhatsApp | LinkedIn for the latest headlines
"Sometimes I make L$1,500 or L$2,000 in a day," he said -- less than $10. "But after reporting the money I am supposed to give, I can be left with nothing."
A Widening Struggle
Kollie's story mirrors that of thousands across Liberia as commercial riding shifts from a side hustle to the default job for high-school graduates and college dropouts. Riders say worsening economic conditions mean fewer passengers and growing pressure to accept cut-rate fares just to earn enough to eat.
"Sometimes a passenger appeals to pay L$30 for a distance we charge L$50," Kollie said. "We agree because people would rather walk than pay, and we have to make our report to the bike owners."
A World Bank report says six of every 10 Liberians live in poverty, with rural counties hardest hit. Liberia ranked 120th of 127 countries on the 2024 Global Hunger Index, signaling "serious" hunger levels.
The shortage of agricultural professionals -- and young people's reluctance to return to farming -- threatens to deepen food insecurity. "Every day I continue to lack the means to study is another day Liberia loses potential in the fight against hunger," Kollie said.
Dreams Deferred
Bike riders in Bong County accuse the government of ignoring their plight while tightening regulations and imposing union dues.
The end of the U.S.-funded TEST program, which once provided scholarships to more than 3,500 students and teachers, has further dimmed hopes. "Its end created a void," said George Philip Mulbah, executive officer of the Justice and Peace Commission in Gbarnga. "The government must invest in scholarships and expand opportunities for the youth."
Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters
Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox
For Kollie, the motorbike is both a lifeline and a trap. "I still want to study agriculture," he said, parked roadside. "Liberia needs more people in farming. But for now, I am stuck."
Voices from the Road
- Daniel George, 22, a 2024 graduate of William V. S. Tubman Gray High, rides a bike he does not own. "What is left with me is barely enough to feed my family," he said. "This is not a career and nothing reliable to depend on."
- Jacobson Dolo, a 2014 high-school graduate, blames politicians for broken promises. "They use us during campaigns but fail to fulfill their promises," he said. "I feel sad that lawmakers are paid so much but do nothing for public benefit."
Dolo said he never planned to ride a motorbike but had no choice. "At times I fall sick but I force my way out to ride because nothing else to do and no one wants to help," he said.
With few alternatives, Liberia's young riders say they remain trapped in poverty -- resilient but left behind by an economy that offers survival, not opportunity.
