Did Senator Konneh Get His Facts Right About Liberia's Oil Palm Importation?
Claim: “Liberia imported $33.5 million in palm oil in 2023, ranking as the 96th largest importer in the world.”
Source: Amara Konneh, Gbarpolu County Senator
Verdict: True
Full Text: Amara Konneh, one of two senators of Gbarpolu County, was elected in the 2023 general and presidential elections.
On March 9, 2025, Konneh posted that Liberia imported $33.5 million in palm oil in 2023, ranking 96th largest importer in the world. Konneh referenced a report from the Observatory of Economic Complexity.
Amara Konneh previously served as a senior advisor for Africa for the World Bank. In July 2014, he was appointed Liberia's first minister of finance and development planning, having previously served concurrently as minister of planning and economic affairs and minister of finance from January 2012 to June 2014.
This post generated 2.2K reactions, 984 comments, and 68 shares at the time of this fact-check.
The Observatory of Economic Complexity (OEC) is a legitimate data source that tracks global trade, covering over 500 sub-national regions, 5,000 products, and thousands of firms.
It enables users to explore trade patterns, compare economic performance, and generate reports quickly using clear visualizations. The OEC is designed to help analysts save time by providing fast access to relevant data and streamlined tools for analysis.
It enables users to explore trade patterns, compare economic performance, and generate reports quickly using clear visualizations. The OEC is designed to help analysts save time by providing fast access to relevant data and streamlined tools for analysis.
Verification: TSM research gathered that the OEC report for 2023 indicates that Liberia imported $33.5M in palm oil, making it the 96th largest importer of oil palm in the world.
The report further stated that in the same year, palm oil was the 13th most imported product in Liberia. Liberia imported palm oil primarily from Indonesia ($23.9M), Malaysia ($8.96M), the United States ($570k), the United Arab Emirates ($73.9k) and Lebanon ($1.45k).
The fastest-growing import markets in palm oil for Liberia between 2022 and 2023 were Malaysia ($5.12M), the United Arab Emirates ($73.6k), and the United States ($12.7k).
Conclusion: Based on OEC data, Representative Konneh's claim about Liberia's palm oil imports is accurate. The figures cited ($33.5M in imports and ranking as the 96th largest importer globally) match precisely with the OEC's reported data for 2023.
