Could you give us a brief historical background of your company?
Our family has been in Liberia for over 28 years. AFRICA MOTORS is a family owned business established almost five years ago. We have always been interested in the vehicles business. Presently, we are the exclusive importers and distributors of Hyundai & Isuzu. We also own Modern Tiles Factory and Trading Corporation, a leader in the tiles manufacturing industry. We are also presently financing the imports of petroleum products for LPRC (Liberia Petroleum & Refining Company, in collaboration with TOTAL FINA France)
How significantly would you say the situation has evolved since 1997?
In 1997, elections were held and Dr. Charles Ghankay Taylor was elected as President of the Republic of Liberia by a landslide win of above 82% of the total votes. We were very relieved and had a feeling that it was the beginning of a new era of peace, stability and economic recovery. We knew very well that the Liberian people were tired of fighting. The situation has not improved significantly due to the continuous problems at our borders with neighbouring Sierra Leone and Guinea. Although we are enjoying a very peaceful life in Monrovia, rumours have seriously affected the business climate.
What measures should be implemented to favour the investment climate?
To have a conducive investment climate, the government has to stress mainly on improving the infrastructure, which has been severely affected during the war. That is transportation, communication, electricity and water. Before 1990, Liberia used to be the centre for transit business to all neighbouring West African countries namely Ivory Coast, Guinea and Sierra Leone. Presently this has stopped due to conflicts at the borders of Liberia.
What would you think of foreign competitors coming to Liberia?
Foreign competitors have to look at new areas and at Agriculture in particular. Liberia has a very fertile land for commodities like rubber, coffee, cocoa and tropical fruits. In addition to that, Liberia is famous for the quality of logs. There are also huge opportunities for mining of gold, diamonds and iron ore.
How influential is the Lebanese community in Liberia?
The Lebanese community is very influential in Liberia in all areas. They have been in Liberia for over a period of 70 years. They are involved in the import and financing of major products from foodstuffs to petroleum products. They have always had an excellent relation with the Liberian people. Many of them were born here and have not seen Lebanon yet.
How have you been performing this year and what are your financial expectations for the coming year?
This year was really difficult due to the fear from the sanctions threat by the United Nations. We are hoping that the year 2001 will be better as it will be clearer whether there will be sanctions or not. We strongly feel that the President is doing his best to have peace and stability in the region. There are promises that the ECOWAS will deploy along the borders with Sierra Leone and Guinea.
| What is your present market share?
The new vehicles market is very limited. The market is shared between Alliance Motors and ourselves. We both have very good contacts with the government and the private sector. But 90% of our sales have gone to the Government of Liberia. In 1999, our market share exceeded 70%, but this year, we think it is below 50%. In 2001, our target is a minimum of 50% of the market share.
What are your expectations for next year?
It is hard to say. Since 1991 we have always been optimistic for things to get better, but we have not made it yet. It is very difficult to make any projections for the future.
What are your main competitive advantages?
Our main competitive advantage is our excellent relations with both private and public sectors as well as the excellent service and availability of spare parts at affordable prices. We are always upgrading our facility to satisfy our customers and suppliers who have minimum standards to award us the exclusive import and distribution of their vehicles. We are going to expand our range of products related to the automotive industry. We seriously consider diversifying in the field of tires, lubricants and other related products. As I mentioned before, we also own the most modern tiles factory in Liberia; we are currently renovating it and introducing new products related to the construction business.
What has been your most challenging and rewarding experience since you came to Liberia?
The most challenging and rewarding experience happened when we were awarded the contract to pre-finance the supply of petroleum products to LPRC in September 1998. We have been in this business for about 16 years and have an excellent relation with ELF France (today TOTAL FINA). At that time, it was very challenging and rewarding financially and morally, to convince ELF France to support us in achieving our aim at a period when most of the major international companies were not in a position to do anything in Liberia. We have performed excellently under this contract with both the government of Liberia and our suppliers.
What would be your final message to our readers?
Our message is that Liberia has a lot of opportunities to offer, mainly in the areas of export of natural resources like rubber, logs, mining and agriculture as well as oil exploration. |
AFRICA MOTORS