By D Abraham Cooper Sr.
“They came, cut down our trees, and give us no benefit. Then they quietly returned to take their machines leaving our forest damaged and over 550 logs behind”, Chief Gbayou lamented in an interview with LFMW on July 13, 2024.
Adding onto the community frustration, a logging company they had hoped on to change their lives suddenly disappeared, leaving behind unfulfilled promises at the perils of community members.
Community members described their contract with Horizon Logging Limited as a “Logging Scam”. “The company is a 419 company; they only came to hustle on our forest and leave us with nothing”, some community members remarked during interview, referring to the infamous ‘419’ scammers originating in Nigeria.
News report by the Liberian Investigator revealed that the company ceased operations in 2023, leaving its operation area/site with scattered logs and abandoned equipment. LFMW could not confirm the company’s sudden departure, but the condition of the company’s workshop and the logs yard suggest the company has been inactive for over a year.
As a result, tension is rising in Boundary Town, Konobo District after Horizon Logging Limited disappeared without notice one year into a five-year contract that was expected to transform the local community.
Town Chief Ophelia B. Gbayou described the company’s departure as a betrayal of community’s trust. She revealed that despite promises of development and profit-sharing, Horizon Logging delivered almost nothing except for one single toilet and a hand pump.
“They came, cut down our trees, and gave us no benefit; “then they quietly returned to take their machines leaving our forest damaged and over 550 logs behind”, Chief Gbayou stated.
The agreement, signed in 2021 and originally designed for 15 years, was expected to bring lasting impact but instead, residents say they feel used and abandoned.
Community leaders are demanding full investigation. They are calling on county and national authorities to hold Horizon Logging Limited accountable for damages. In a letter of complaint to the House of Representatives in January 2025, Grand Gedeh County District 2 Representative, Marie Johnson accused the company of abandoning cut logs and neglecting its corporate social responsibilities.
“I write to bring to your attention the ongoing abandonment of logs in the forest and the failure of Horizon Logging Company to fulfill its corporate social responsibilities under the terms of its concession agreement,” Johnson stated in her letter.
While community’s call for an investigation may seem good, concerns about a culture of impunity make people worry that such investigation is unlikely to happen. In 2022/2023, Horizon Logging Limited went unpunished after exporting over US$2 million worth of logs in “flagrant disregard” to the agreement it signed with the people of Konobo Community Forest.
In an effort to intervene in the alleged failures of the company, the National Legislature mandated the Forestry Development Authority to place a stay order on the company operations on July 2, 2024. LFMW, however, cannot confirm if the FDA implemented the legislative mandate. One year after, over 500 logs are abandoned and there is no indication the company has fulfilled its contractual obligations to the people of Konobo community.
