The Patriotic Entrepreneur of Liberia, led by Chairman Dominic Nimely, has formally dissociated itself from a planned protest announced by a group of businesspeople operating under the banner "The Economic Action of Liberia - TEAM," describing the action as ill-timed and disconnected from what it says are improving conditions for Liberian-owned businesses.
The planned demonstration, scheduled for Wednesday, Jan. 7, is being spearheaded by TEAM Chairman Presley S. Tenway, who has accused the government of marginalizing indigenous businesses in favor of foreign firms, a situation he claims is deepening poverty across the country.
Speaking at a news conference Tuesday, Jan. 6, at his Monrovia office, Nimely rejected those assertions, calling them baseless and lacking substance. He argued that the Boakai-Koung administration has made more tangible progress in empowering Liberian businesses than previous governments, including the administrations of former Presidents Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and George Manneh Weah.
"During Madam Sirleaf's regime, foreign business owners were given 75 percent rights while Liberian business owners were treated like trash," Nimely said. "It was even worse under the Weah regime, where we were pushed far from the fence of the spectators. I was even flogged for consistently advocating for Liberian businesses."
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Nimely, who also serves as chairman for trade and commerce at the Liberia Business Association and president of the Car Dealers Association of Liberia, said Liberians are no longer sidelined in their own economy under President Joseph Nyuma Boakai.
According to him, the current administration, through key public institutions, has awarded multimillion-dollar contracts to Liberian-owned companies to execute major projects nationwide, a development he said was largely absent under previous governments.
"Before, we were sitting far from the fence as spectators in our own economy," he said. "Now we are coming down from that fence, and gradually we will take the space we deserve. These achievements alone undermine the reasons being advanced for this protest."
Nimely also took direct aim at Tenway, describing him as a controversial businessman seeking personal gain through public agitation. He urged members of the business community to stay away from what he termed a "so-called protest."
"I call on businesspeople not to waste their time attending this planned action," Nimely said. "Everybody knows the character of Mr. Tenway."
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He further pointed to what he described as unprecedented engagement between government and the private sector, noting that local businesses have benefited from service passports upon request by the Liberia Business Association president. He also said the government has sponsored private-sector participation in two international trips, an opportunity he claimed was nonexistent under past administrations.
Despite his strong defense of the government's record, Nimely called on President Boakai to engage directly with indigenous business owners, saying such dialogue is critical to fully understanding the challenges faced by members of the Liberia Business Association and the Liberia Chamber of Commerce.
"While some of his lieutenants are engaging us, many are doing so for personal benefit," he said. "A direct meeting with the president is necessary to address the real issues affecting local businesses."
