The Liberia Immigration Service (LIS) has registered more than 40,000 Burkinabé nationals, mostly cocoa farmers, in southeastern Liberia as part of a sweeping effort to monitor their presence, legalize their stay, and track their movement across forested counties.
“It is intended to establish how many of them entered the country and where exactly they crossed,” said Alex Kpakolo, Assistant Immigration Comptroller for Grand Gedeh County. “We are taking stock of their movements and actions across the different towns, villages, districts, and communities where they are hosted. By doing this, we can easily trace them if there is a problem.”
This development marks one of the most comprehensive attempts to document Burkinabés, primarily from the Mossi ethnic group, who have quietly crossed into Liberia from Ivory Coast since the early 2010s. They’ve taken advantage of Liberia’s vast rainforests, loose border monitoring, and comparatively higher cocoa prices. Last year, France 24 reported that at least 25,000 Burkinabés had entered Liberia to farm cocoa.
But the figure recorded by LIS now dwarfs that estimate. In Grand Gedeh County alone, more than 36,000 Burkinabés have registered, according to the immigration authority. The LIS has established 18 registration points in the county to handle the surge.
The presence of these foreign cocoa farmers is part of a broader trend that mirrors Ivory Coast’s own experience. Over the last 60 years, Côte d’Ivoire has lost 90% of its forest cover, mainly due to cocoa cultivation. Liberia is on a similar path: Between 2002 and 2024, the country lost 386,000 hectares of primary forest, according to Global Forest Watch.
Now spread across Maryland, River Gee, and Grand Gedeh counties, the Burkinabés are often hosted by Liberians in remote farming towns and villages. Immigration records show over 1,000 Liberians are hosting at least one Burkinabé farmer. In many cases, these arrangements are informal.
But Kpakolo says that is beginning to change.
“As a result of this process, most of the Burkinabés are now coming out of the bushes and registering. Their hosts too, are encouraging them on a daily basis to come for the registration. That’s why you see we have this kind of high number,” he said in an interview at the LIS office in Gboleken, Gbarzon District.
After registration, the foreigners will undergo vetting before being issued residency permits, in accordance with the Alien and Nationality Law of Liberia. ECOWAS citizens are required to pay US$100 for the permit. Failure to comply may result in fines or deportation.
“After registration, we will review their status and find out whether they are here only on a temporary basis, or they want to stay and work here permanently,” Kpakolo explained. “After this process, LIS will make a decision to start issuing resident permits.”
Land Disputes Brewing Beneath the Surface
Despite the orderly registration drive, there are signs of strain. Local labor officials are sounding alarms about land disputes and unregulated agreements between Liberians and the Burkinabés.
“We have noticed that people who don’t have titled deeds are cutting boundaries and giving out land to Burkinabés,” said Robson Bah, Labour Commissioner for Grand Gedeh. “As a result of this, you have confusion all over the place.”
While relations between the two groups are mostly peaceful for now, Bah warns that tension could erupt once money from cocoa sales begins to circulate.
“Today, everything appears to be going well between the Burkinabés and their Liberian hosts,” he said, “but when money starts to come and things start to happen, they may not be peaceful.”
Court records support Bah’s concern. In Grand Gedeh, disputes linked to cocoa farming are already spilling into the justice system. The Zwedru City Magisterial Court has documented at least 10 land-related cases involving Burkinabé farmers. Just last week, 31 individuals accused of illegally farming within concession areas were sentenced and jailed at the Zwedru Correction Palace.
As Liberia works to manage both migration and deforestation, the cocoa boom in the southeast is emerging as a double-edged sword, offering income and investment, but also fueling conflict, forest depletion, and legal uncertainty over land rights. The real challenge for authorities now is not just registering foreign farmers, but keeping peace in communities where cocoa is fast becoming both a lifeline and a landmine.
Source: Daylight
