Claim: This government brought Jetty Rubber Processing, the first processing plant in Liberia.
Verdict: Misleading, Jetty Rubber Processing is not the first processing Factory in Liberia.
Full Text: Samora Wolokollie, Deputy Minister of Finance, appeared on September 4, 2023 (26:03) on the State Broadcast ELBC Super Morning show, where he claimed that Jetty Rubber Factory is the first processing factory in Liberia.
This is not just the first time Jetty has been named the first rubber processing plant, a video on KMTV, Independent Probe, newspaper, and BNN also published a similar title, “Liberia’s First Rubber Processing Factory Begins Operation.”
The rubber processing factory owned by former Indian Consular General to Liberia, Mr. Upjit Singh Sachdeva, commonly known as Jetty,” is an initiative that seeks to propel Liberia’s pursuit of value additions to the rubber sector for both domestic and external use.
Verification: Research shows that The Cooper Rubber Processing Plant (CRPP) is the first processing plant in Liberia.
The CRPP plant is a 100% locally-owned rubber plant, located in Blagai on Bomi Highway, and was recently inaugurated.
It was featured in a BBC report in 2019, and according to its Facebook Page, the CRPP produced several rubber materials.
Conclusion: With the research done, the claim by Wolokolie is misleading; Jetty Rubber Factory is not the first processing plant in Liberia.
This story was produced with the Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development’s (CJID) support.
