Liberia
Overview
WFP supports its programmes in Liberia with a range of logistics services that include land, sea and air components. Liberia presents distinct challenges such as a poor national road network characterized predominantly by rural dirt roads which are heavily bogged due to torrential rainfall during the six month long rainy season, rendering many rural routes impassable for long periods of the year. Currently, WFP logistics supports WFP operations distributing food to school feeding, food for work and nutrition programmes throughout the country.
Team
The WFP logistics team is headed by an international Logistics Officer and is comprised of 116 staff members including storekeepers, Compas Assistants, mechanics, truck drivers, Logistics Assistants, an air operations officer, a UNV Compas Manager, a port operation and fleet management consultant and one National Officer.
Activities
Port Operations
WFP imports all food commodities and most non-food items into Liberia via the Freeport of Monrovia. Food is transported to the Harper EDP through the Port of Harper using a motor vessel under charter by the UN Mission in Liberia (UNMIL). Due to lack of capacity such as bagging facilities and appropriate handling equipment, the ports are not well suited to handle break bulk cargo. As a result, WFP brings in mostly containerized cargo.
• Monrovia
• Buchanan
• Greenville
• Harper
Storage
• Freeport of Monrovia – 14,000 MT capacity (Map)
• Voinjama – 1,000MT capacity (Map)
• Saclepea – 1,000 MT
• Zwedru – 900 MT
• Harper – 900 MT
• Barclayville – 300 MT
• Greenville – 300 MT
Road Transport
Commodities distributed in Liberia arrive through the Freeport of Monrovia and are stored in WFP’s main transit warehouses in the port premises. Food is subsequently transported mainly by an UNMIL-chartered motor vessel to the Extended Delivery Point (EDP) in Harper; and by WFP fleet and commercial trucks to the other primary EDPs in Voinjama, Saclepea and Zwedru. Further dispatches to schools, health centers, other feeding sites and secondary EDPs are done with trucks from WFP own fleet.
Rail
There is one minor rail link between Bushrod Island (in the vicinity of the Port of Monrovia) and the former mining town of Bong Mines. This rail track was used before the war to transport iron ore from the mines to the port for export. Today it is used mainly to transport petty traders and commodities related to the informal trade in agriculture produce and other goods. Another rail link between the northern mining town of Yekapa and the Port of Buchanan in the south is undergoing renovation by an international steel company operating in Liberia. WFP does not use rail as it is not yet an effective or cost-efficient option for the operational needs in Liberia.
Aviation
WFP provides aviation support to facilitate the work and movement of humanitarian actors in the countries of the Mano River Basin (Liberia, Guinea, Sierra Leone) through a regional air operation based in Monrovia. A 19-seater Beechcraft makes an average of 24 weekly flights to locations in the three countries. In case of emergency, the air operation can also conduct flights to locations in other countries such as Cote D’Ivoire as the situation warrant.
Other WFP Logistics Services
WFP logistics in Liberia provides warehouse capacity and related services to FAO and CRS in Monrovia and has conducted training to Ministry of Education and cooperating partner staff in warehouse management to upgrade their skill and performance in food and food facility management in relation to WFP programmes.
