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Claim: Former Assistant Finance Minister Benedict Kolubah claims a 25kg bag of rice was always around $13 or $14 during the George Weah administration.
Verdict: False. World Bank data show rice prices surged to $17 and $18, even though the government at the time reported prices at $13 or $13.50.
Full Text
Former Assistant Finance Minister Benedict Kolubah recently claimed commodity prices are higher under the current government than during the administration of former President George Weah.
According to Benedict Kolubah, the price of a 25kg bag of rice, for example, is much higher now than then.
He claims the Ministry of Commerce price indexes show that “rice price was always around $13 and $14,” under the previous administration. He noted that the price increased only once but was resolved.
Kolubah made this statement between 22:16 and 22:26 on OK FM’s afternoon show, where he appeared as a guest.
To promote truth in the information ecosystem, DUBAWA verified the former assistant minister’s assertion.
Verification
DUBAWA reviewed the third and fourth editions of the World Bank’s economic update on Liberia and found findings contrary to former Assistant Minister Kolubah’s claim.
World Bank researchers produced the reports by gathering information directly from consumers and sellers about the prices they were actually paying and charging.
About five years into Weah’s government, the bank reported in its third edition update, published in June 2022, that a 25 kg bag of rice cost $19 in Montserrado County in 2021, up from $15 in 2020.
In other parts of the country, the bank reported prices as high as U$23 and $28 in remote counties, especially in areas with poor road quality. Meanwhile, the government, through the Ministry of Commerce, reported $13 and $13.50 at the time.
This information is provided on page 28 of the World Bank’s update report.
In the fourth edition of the bank’s update in June 2023, the global bank also reported that by December 2022, the government announced an increase in the retail price of a 25 kg bag of rice from $13.50 to $17.50.
This is also on page 46 of the bank’s update.
Some credible news media institutions, such as here and here, also reported surges in the commodity’s price, with prices ranging from $17 to $18.50, while the government documented prices at $13 and $13.50
Media reports interviewed buyers and sellers and documented realities on the ground, even when official government price reports presented a different picture.
Conclusion
Benedict Kolubah’s claim that rice prices did not exceed $14 during George Weah’s administration is false.