The_Open_Door_deel1

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Development Planning and Expenditure Patterns: The 1967 - 1970
Development Plan
The austerity programme which was introduced in the aftermath of
the 1963 financial crisis did not prevent the Liberian Government
from drawing up a Four Year Development Plan for the years 1967
through 1970. The economic survey which had been carried out by
the Northwestern University Team and the results of the 1962
Population Census had contributed to an unprecedented quantity of
data. This enabled the Government for the first time in the
country's history to base a multi-year Development Plan on basic
and relatively reliable data. It is noteworthy that though
Article II, Section 7 of the Liberian Constitution of 1847
provided that a Census of Population was to be taken every ten
years the 1962 Population Census was the first national census
ever held. One of its most remarkable findings had been that the
country's population totalled about 1.1 million people. Before,
official estimates of the total population of the country had
always varied between 1.5 million - 2.5 million.
In the Plan the Government emphasized its commitment to the
principles of the free enterprise system in general and of the
Open Door Policy in particular. To encourage private investments
the Government would provide the necessary infrastructure as well
as investment incentives (in 1966 the Investment Incentive Code
was enacted). However, special attention and consideration would
be given to investment activities which would result in import
substitution, in the use of locally available raw materials, and
in the growth of the country's National Product (rather than its
Domestic Product as this also includes the economic activities
in Liberia of foreigners and foreign-owned companies). The stated
long-range development objectives underlying the 1967 - 19 70
Development Plan were (i) a steadily increasing per capita income
through increased production; (ii) a distribution of income
conducive to long-run political stability and social justice;
(iii) a greater participation by Liberians in positions of skill
and responsibility in all areas of the economy; (iv) a more
widespread .distribution of the benefits of economic advance, to
improve the quality of life for Liberians of all regions and all
social groups; and (v) a more broadly-based economic and
industrial development through active participation in joint
economic projects involving other nations of the West African
sub-region (67).
The Plan envisaged additional expenditures (over the already
committed expenditures of $ 213-1 million) (68) amounting to
$ 98-1 million in the 1967 - 1970 period. Over sixty pe-i- cent of
this amount was to be spent on the improvement of infrastructural
activities (transportation, communication and public utilities).
The greatest emphasis was placed on transportation development,
particularly roads, as it was considered essential for the
exploitation of the country's timber resources (69). It was
expected that a more extensive network of roads would result in