Africa-Press – Liberia. Liberia’s Vice President stands with EPA Executive Director Emmanuel Yarkpawolo and other dignitaries during the dedication of the country’s new environmental laboratory at the EPA headquarters in Monrovia.
Summary:
Liberia’s new EPA environmental laboratory promises faster, science-backed pollution detection and response without relying on foreign labs.
Experts warn capacity means little without enforcement, citing past cases where confirmed pollution went unpunished and urging the Boakai administration to pair scientific advances with stronger penalties and transparency.
Pollution in Liberia poses severe health, environmental, and economic risks, from contaminated water and hazardous waste to air pollution and land degradation, with experts calling for coordinated government action and public education to curb the crisis.
Experts say Liberia’s new fully equipped environmental laboratory is a breakthrough that could transform how the country tackles pollution. The laboratory, launched last month by the Environmental Protection Agency, will allow EPA technicians to conduct forensic testing on air, water, and soil samples, allowing them to respond to contamination emergencies quickly without sending samples abroad.
“This is a game changer,” said EPA Executive Director Emmanuel Urey Yarkpawolo at a press conference for the launch. “For the first time, we can back our findings with science.”
The lab is part of a broader agency reform undertaken by Yarkpawolo to address what he has repeatedly said were major deficiencies under the administration of former president George Weah.
“When I took office, even our own buildings didn’t meet environmental standards,” he said. Donated testing equipment sat idle for lack of space. “We lacked vehicles, offices, even basic infrastructure. It was a contradiction that undermined our integrity.”
Since then, the EPA has moved into a permanent headquarters and equipped its compliance team. Yarkpawolo said the lab will help Liberia assert control over its natural resources, including through an upcoming national carbon credit policy aimed at benefiting local communities.
Experts applauded the developments but warned that the government must match the new scientific capacity with enforcement.
“Having a lab doesn’t mean anything if regulators won’t use the data to hold polluters accountable,” said Emmanuel T.T. Swen, an environmental scientist and former assistant minister of mines under the Weah administration. “We’ve seen cases where pollution was confirmed, and still nothing happened.”
The Boakai administration has had a mixed record on pollution since it came into office in January 2024. There have been some big moves including the fining in May of telecommunications company Lonestar Cell MTN $US15,000 for prolonged noise pollution from its generator facility in Congo Town — one of the first such fines since the 2002 Environmental Protection and Management Law came into force. The penalty followed a decibel-level analysis. It’s unclear whether Lonestar has paid the fine. Environmental Protection Agency boss Urey K. Yarkwapolo and agency communications officer did not respond to a request for comment before deadline. Rahul De, CEO of Lonestar Cell MTN Liberia, did not respond to multiple requests for comment.
That same week, EPA enforcement teams conducted a surprise inspection in southeastern Liberia. They shut down Scott Investment, a Liberian-Chinese mining company, and issued seven-day ultimatums to several others, including SOAUR Mining Company, a fully Chinese-owned firm, and multiple Class B miners found to be using dredges and excavators without environmental permits.
EPA staff inspect illegal mining activities in River Gee County during their county tour. The team documented the use of dredges and excavators causing land degradation and water pollution, and visited Gee Mining Resources for a site assessment.(Photo:EPA)
EPA staff stand with law enforcement officers, police, and rangers as they inspect illegal mining activities in River Gee County during their county tour.(Photo:EPA)
The EPA pledged to release a full report on the nationwide mining crackdown by the end of May. But more than two months later, the status of the investigation, and whether any companies complied, were shut down, or penalized, have not been made public.
FPA/New Narratives contacted the EPA’s executive director and communications team for updates on the status of these enforcement actions, but they did not respond before publication.
For years, environmental oversight in Liberia has been inconsistent and opaque, according to experts – a patchwork of verbal complaints, paper promises, and agencies without the tools to act. Officials couldn’t test the air near factories or confirm if a community’s water was poisoned. Their reports relied on hearsay. Warnings came late, if at all.
A glimpse inside Liberia’s new EPA laboratory, outfitted for testing air, water, and soil samples. (Photo: Francis Boayue)
Experts say Liberia is facing a mounting pollution crisis that threatens public health, the environment, and the country’s economic future. From the crowded streets of Monrovia to the most remote rural communities, the signs are everywhere: piles of uncollected waste rotting in the open, streams and rivers choked with plastic and sewage, and toxic smoke from open burning drifting into homes and marketplaces. Experts warn that poor waste management practices, coupled with rapid urban growth and weak enforcement of environmental laws, have turned many communities into hazardous zones. Contaminated water sources are driving outbreaks of cholera, typhoid, and diarrheal diseases—illnesses that disproportionately affect children and place enormous strain on Liberia’s fragile healthcare system. In fishing communities, industrial and domestic runoff is polluting coastal waters, threatening marine life and the livelihoods of thousands who depend on the sea.
The impact goes beyond health. Environmental degradation is eroding agricultural productivity, while clogged drainage systems and litter-strewn waterways increase the risk of flooding during the rainy season. Air quality suffers not only from vehicle emissions but also from the open burning of refuse and biomass, which releases harmful particulates and greenhouse gases. In the dry season, dust from unpaved roads and exposed soils adds to the burden. Yet public awareness of the dangers of pollution remains low, and efforts to address it are often underfunded and uncoordinated. Civil society groups are calling for urgent action—tighter enforcement of sanitation bylaws, investment in waste collection and recycling infrastructure, and community education campaigns to change disposal habits. Without decisive measures, Liberia’s pollution problem will continue to undermine public health, degrade the environment, and slow progress toward sustainable development.
“Pollution affects more than just the environment,” said Mr. Nick Benito Goll, a Liberian environmental health expert. “Air pollution contributes to respiratory illnesses, worsens hypertension, and disrupts sleep patterns. Noise pollution can damage hearing and cause chronic stress. Without proper monitoring and enforcement, communities continue to suffer these health impacts in silence. He also warned about the use of mercury in water contamination, which has been linked to increased risks of cancer and other serious health problems. ”Critics said the EPA has long lacked either the capacity, or the will to challenge politically connected polluters. “We’ve had science before. What we lacked was political will,” said Swen, citing repeated incidents involving Bea Mountain, in Grand Cape Mount county and river pollution. “In other countries, companies pay heavily for pollution. In Liberia, the penalties are too light to make a difference.”
Swen stressed that independent testing is essential in a system where companies often submit their own pollution reports. “A mining company might show you their own readings and say everything’s fine. But until the government has its own verified results, how can we know the truth?”
Swen also called for stronger collaboration across government: “The EPA may have the lab, but real regulation means the Ministry of Labor, Mines, and NPHIL must use it. It’s about protecting lives and livelihoods, not just ticking boxes.”
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