Liberia has in recent years intensified efforts to modernize and expand its poultry industry, marking a pivotal shift from reliance on imports to strengthening domestic production. A major milestone occurred with the opening of a modern poultry processing facility in Paynesville by Kodah Lib Chicken, signaling confidence in local capabilities and serving as a catalyst for growth. The plant integrates automated slaughtering, segmentation, and packaging equipment, aimed at meeting high safety and quality standards, shortening supply chains, and enhancing efficiency in processing Liberian-grown birds.
This move complements earlier government-led initiatives to build agro-industrial complexes and support infrastructures. For instance, in mid-2023, Liberia invested around US$ $26 million in a large-scale poultry complex incorporating an egg farm, feed mill, egg‑packing station, and workshop facilities. That project followed an Export Credit Facility and down-payment arrangement financed through the Finance Ministry and Israeli bank Leumi, underscoring a strategic approach toward food security, job creation, and import substitution.
Complementing industrial investments are policy reforms. A National Poultry Strategy, long dormant, has recently been pre-validated following a high-profile workshop held in Suakoko District. The strategy embraces a full value‑chain vision—mapping existing farms, enhancing training and veterinary support, scaling local maize feed production, and linking farmers to finance and markets. Its goal: raising Liberia’s poultry output—currently at ~15,000 metric tons per year in 2022—to meet local demand and reduce dependence on imported poultry.
In parallel, private-private and public-private collaborations have emerged to tackle key constraints. Eastern Farmers Agriculture & General Enterprise (EFAGE‑SL), in partnership with Dutch feed specialists Trouw Nutrition, is establishing a “one‑stop shop” feed mill in Liberia, capable of producing 250,000 bags of poultry feed annually. The initiative responds to persistent feed shortages that have caused losses of thousands of layer birds. Such efforts reflect reinforced government support for feed security—highlighted in a March 2025 meeting between the Ministry of Agriculture and poultry stakeholders.
Liberia’s largest poultry complex in Bomi County, a US$26 million private investment launched in 2021, demonstrates the growing scale of operations. Capable of supporting 550,000 layer birds and generating 350,000 eggs daily, the facility has nearly eliminated egg imports and created approximately 500 direct jobs. The Agriculture Minister’s tours of this farm signalled official endorsement and recognition of its socio-economic impact.
Yet challenges remain: access to feed, veterinary services, and financing continues to limit smaller farmers’ growth. Local maize, essential for poultry feed, is still insufficiently produced, creating a dependency on imports or delayed deliveries. There’s also ongoing debate on whether to impose import tariffs or outright bans on imported poultry, with voices in government and industry advocating strong measures to protect local producers.
Nevertheless, Liberia’s trajectory is increasingly positive. The synchronization of industrial capacity expansions—like the Paynesville processing plant and Bomi egg facility—with strategic policy development and feed‑supply initiatives, creates a fertile environment for sustainable growth. These combined efforts—public, private, and donor-supported—are turning the poultry sector into a driver of food security, job creation, and economic diversification.
Looking forward, the next critical step is formalizing the National Poultry Strategy into law—a process set to involve parliamentary review following final revisions. Once enacted, this policy framework will embed standards for farm classification, production targets, investment facilitation, and quality control throughout Liberia’s poultry value chain. If implemented robustly, it could usher in a new era of agricultural independence, where locally grown chickens and eggs satisfy national demand, farmers thrive with steady incomes, and consumer protection replaces the import-induced uncertainties of the past.
Liberia’s poultry sector is undergoing a transformative renaissance. The synergy between scalable processing infrastructure, feed solutions, policy formalization, and government support paints an encouraging outlook: a poultry industry emerging as a pillar of national self-reliance, economic opportunity, and healthier, fresher food supply for Liberians.
