Project Summary

Project General Description

The proposed project is a technical assistance to Liberia’s fast-growing wood processing industry. The country has close to one million hectares of forest available for sustainable harvesting, and its forestry sector offers immense opportunities for domestic and international investors. Despite growing demand for veneers, plywood and furniture, production of processed wood products remains limited, due to the constraints of SME’s which still use rudimentary methods and have limited access to financing and market outlets. This US$1,000,000 project funded by Fund for Africa Private Sector Assistance (FAPA) presents an important opportunity to promote the private sector by scaling up the participation of Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (SMEs) in the secondary wood processing industry to promote inclusive green growth, employment and economic diversification in Liberia. The grant will strengthen the capacity of public and private sector players in the nation’s secondary wood processing industry and provide institutional support to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). This will include the training of approximately 60 furniture producers and carpenters on value addition techniques, access to finance, market and marketing opportunities, business management skills, enterprise development planning, group dynamics and price negotiations.

Project Objectives

This technical assistance project promotes inclusive green growth, employment and economic diversification in Liberia. The development outcomes of this project include: increased local value addition, access to micro financing to furniture makers and carpenters, as well as improved connection between local producers and traders of secondary processed wood products and procurement entities, such as Government.

Beneficiaries

The project is expected to boost vocational training and mass employment through the promotion of carpentry and furniture making. It will also promote public-private-sector partnerships (PPPs) and the Ministry of Youth and Sports, the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, and the Forestry Development Agency. Other beneficiaries are the Liberia Chainsaw and Timber Dealers Union, which will receive training on tree species identification techniques, and the Monrovia-based Wood Processing Union (furniture and carpentry). The Wood Union will also benefit from training to build capacity within their members, in areas such as accessing start-up capital, technical and entrepreneurial skills, and better organization. The project will coordinate with and provide training for approximately 60 furniture producers and carpentry service providers to increase their capacities to: effectively engage in providing quality and competitive furniture and carpentry for the domestic consumers and international market outlets.

Participating Organization

Information

Export

Download

Contact Details

Geographic Location