Correct, Margibi County Received US$160K from Firestone Rubber Plantation As SDF
Patrick Moyor, Margibi Fellow
Claim: "Firestone, the world's largest rubber plantation, is giving Margibi County US$160,000 as a Social Development Fund."
Source: DN-News Liberia, online media.
Source: DN-News Liberia, online media.
Verdict: Correct, Margibi County Received US$160,000 from Firestone Rubber Plantation As Social Development Fund
Full Text: On April 18, 2025, DN-News Liberia, an online media outlet, posted on its official Facebook page with a claim that Firestone Rubber Plantation in Liberia is giving Margibi County US$160,000 as a Social Development Fund.
This claim raised concerns among commenters and followers of the platform, with many people doubting the report, while others expressed disenchantment with the company for giving such little cash to the county.
Many commenters believed that said amount is not sufficient from an American company that is making millions of United States dollars monthly from the country and its people.
The post generated 110 likes, 36 comments, and 7 shares, with more negative comments against Firestone and the government of Liberia.
Verification: To verify this claim, we checked out Liberia's approved National Budget and Citizen Guide for 2024 & 2025.
Our research revealed that during the 2024 fiscal year, Margibi County received US$ 160,000 from Firestone Rubber Plantation as a Social Development Fund.
Meanwhile, in the approved 2025 National Budget of Liberia, we found out that this amount remains constant at US$ 160,000.00 from the Firestone Rubber Plantation to Margibi County as a Social Development Fund.
Firestone Rubber Plantation is an American concession company operating in Margibi County.
It signed a 99-year concession agreement with the government of Liberia in 1926. As part of this agreement, Firestone was granted 1 million acres of land for producing natural rubber for tire manufacturing.
As part of the concession agreement, it is not spelled out how much Firestone is obligated to give Margibi County as the Social Development Fund. However, according to page 29 (article 14.1 of the 2008 Concession Agreement of Firestone Rubber Inc.),.
“It is incumbent upon the company to cooperate in good faith with the Liberian government to establish efforts and support plans and programs to ensure the continuing economic and social visibility that forms as a result of the production.”
Conclusion: From our verification and source document, we can confirm that DN-News' claim about Firestone Rubber Plantation giving Margibi County US$ 160,000 as a Social Development Fund is correct.
