Misleading, Liberia's First Currency Was Not Printed By Ex-President Doe
Claim: “Doe Printed Liberia’s first Currency”
Source: Mohammed Cyrus Idea Konah
Verdict: Misleading; Liberia's first currency was not printed during Ex-President Samuel K. Doe's regime.
Full Text: Mohammed Cyrus Idea Konah, the administrator in the office of Nathaniel McGill, Margibi County Senator, during a media appearance late Friday, December 13, 2024, on Radio Margibi (103.9 FM), which was streamed on CAMRY Online Television-1, claimed that the ‘First Currency’ of the Republic of Liberia was printed by ex-president Samuel K. Doe.
Konah made the claim 18 minutes into the interview, thus gratifying the late Liberian leader for his contributions made towards the modernization of Liberia.
Verification: To authenticate this claim, this researcher contacted Mark Waka, a historian who holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in History from the University of Liberia and also teaches at the George V. Gibson Memorial United Methodist High School.
Waka told our Margibi County Fellow that the first Liberian currency was made public during the presidency of J.J. Robert and not Samuel K. Doe as claimed by Cyrus Konah.
He further thought Liberia does not have a straight and clear history due to the involvement of the Western Power, but the history of Liberian-owned currency began when the country gained independence in 1847, at which time Joseph J. Roberts was elected president.
Our online research shows that ex-president Samuel K. Doe was not the first Liberian president to print or issue Liberian currency; rather, he minted Liberian dollars in the 1980s and during the civil war in 1989, the JJ Robert banknotes were issued in areas controlled by ex-president Charles G. Taylor while Liberty notes were issued in 1991 in areas controlled by ECOMOG/ECOWAS.
Research also says Liberia began using her own money immediately after she gained her independence in 1847, during which time Joseph J. Roberts served as president.
As history records, the first Liberian banknotes were printed in 1857, shortly after former President Joseph J. Roberts’s first presidency ended in 1856.
Conclusion: Based on our research and fact-finding, we realized that ex-president Doe did not print the first Liberian currency but rather he minted Liberian dollars in the 1980s and during the civil war.
