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'••] the most organized and intensive training activity in the
:j private (and public) sectors of the Liberian economy (3).
|| Bong Mining Company's efforts in this respect were significantly
S| less but nonetheless ranked second within the national context
I (4).
|| However, it is worth mentioning that through the ownership
|| structure of these companies the Liberian Government participated
II in the financing of these training and educational activities in
; | conformity with the number of shares held (50$).
•3 It was not until 1973 that the Tolbert-Administration announced
•j a Liberianization policy which referred to an increasing
I participation of Liberians in the qualified labour force of the
•j multinational companies operating in the country. As will be
•i discussed later in this Chapter this policy mainly served the
| interests of the political elite of the country. The absence of
a policy or a desire to co-operate with foreign investors in the
management of the country's natural resources is further
I evidenced by two cases in which the Government of Liberia is an
important shareholder (50$) in the company which was granted
concession rights. In both cases, viz., the exploitation of iron
> ore in the Nimba Mountains and in the Bong Range respectively,
the Government had agreed to be excluded from management
I decisions (see Chapter 8). Co-ownership in both cases refers to
! a legal structure on which income from this exploitation is
j based rather than to a desire to co-operate with the foreign
investor in order to develop its own ability and capacity to
perform the role initially offered to foreign investors only
j (as in the case of L.M.C). The factual exploitation of the
i Mano River (iron ore) deposits by a foreign-owned management
! company - though the concessionaire-company was 70$ Liberian
i owned - is in this respect also significant (see Chapter 7).
: Thirdly, that it had never been the intention of the Government
j to promote an industrial co-operation which would make economic
.: activities of foreign investors and of Liberian entrepeneurs
j complementary. The economic and/or industrial activities of
! foreign investors operating under concession agreements with the
] Liberian Government were generally very limited and virtually
j confined to (1) the extraction of natural resources (minerals,
; logs) and their subsequent exportation, and (2) the production
i of raw materials which were exported virtually unprocessed too
(agricultural products such as rubber). Various examples justify
j this conclusion, and involve all major investors.
j Not only did the Government fail to link the economic activities
j of foreign investors with those of national entrepeneurs but it
I also showed to be unable or unwilling to change the enclave
i character of the "foreign sector" of the Liberian economy. Thus
I Liberia became just a supplier of raw materials for industries
located abroad - for which not much trained'manpower is needed.
One case, which has been dealt with extensively, showed that a
foreign investor refused to co-operate with the Liberian
Government in this respect by not being willing to install a
rubber processing Industry (tyre factory) in the country. The