Kongba District Residents Demand De-Gazettement of Gola National Park Community Over Unmet Promises

By: Henry B. Gboluma, Jr.  |Gbarpolu Correspondent

‎Brewerville Township, Montserrado County |Feb. 14, 2026|The people of Kongba District, through the Kongba District Development Association, have issued a statement calling for the de-gazettement of the Gola Forest National Park, citing unmet promises and lack of benefits to the community.

‎The Park, established in 2016, has been a source of frustration as opposed to happiness for local residents; who claim they have been denied access to the forest, their primary means of livelihood.

‎”We are calling on the Government of Liberia to de-gazette the Gola Forest National Park, largely hosted in Kongba District, Gbarpolu County,” said Mr. Learphey F Bainda, General Secretary of the Kongba District Development Association.

‎”Ten years have passed, and no direct benefit has been given to the people,” he said “the roads and bridges leading to the park are all in deplorable conditions. The animals, especially the elephants, continue to destroy the farm, yet there is no compensation for them and no remedy has been found to stop the elephant invasions of the people’s settlements.”

‎In a Press Statement on Friday, February 13, 2026 in Brewerville Montserrado County, the district’s demands include a major stakeholders’ conference, rehabilitation of roads and bridges, employment and study opportunities, women’s empowerment programs, and direct compensation for community impact.

‎It can be recalled that recently Michael Garbo, Executive Director of the Society for the Conservation of Nature of Liberia (SCNL), rejected claims that conservation partners should divert donor funds to infrastructure projects like road construction.

‎He said that their work is to complement government efforts in meeting Liberia’s international conservation commitments, particularly in key biodiversity hotspots such as the Gola Forest National Park and the proposed Foya National Park among others.

‎He disclosed that since 2009, SCNL has invested over US$11.7 million in community livelihood programs around the Gola Forest landscape, including cocoa and rice production, micro-loans, climate-smart agriculture training, bridge construction, and the rehabilitation of health facilities.

‎The Gola Forest National Park, established in 2016, is a key biodiversity hotspot in Liberia; home to endangered species like forest elephants, pygmy hippos, and chimpanzees.

‎The Park is part of the Gola-Mahari forest complex, which spans across Liberia and Sierra Leone.

‎Conservation efforts aim to protect the forest’s rich ecosystem while supporting local communities.

‎However, tensions have risen between the government and local communities over access to resources and benefits.