Transport in Liberia

Transport in Liberia consists of 243 km (151 miles) of railways, 6,580 miles of highways (408 mi paved), seaports, 29 airports (2 paved) and 2 miles of pipeline for oil transportation.^[1] Railroads are almost exclusively for cargo. Buses and taxis are the main forms of ground transportation in and around Monrovia. Charter boats and ferries are also available.^[2][3]

Three railways were built in Liberia to export ore from iron mines. All three opened in the 1960s, and all three were damaged and closed during the civil wars between 1989 and 2003. Two of the three re-opened to some degree after the war.

The first rail line, the Mano River Railway, opened in 1960. It was a 148-kilometre (92 mi) route from Monrovia to mines near the border with Sierra Leone. It closed in the early part of the First Liberian Civil War in 1989 and did not reopen.^[4][5]: 45

The Bong Mine railway line began operation in 1964, but closed in 1992 due to the civil war. It runs for 77 kilometres (48 mi).^[4] By the late 2000s, the Bong mine railway was operating again.^[6] Service has come and gone since. In 2010, the railway was performing freight and passenger trips between Monrovia and the (former) mining town of Bong.^[7] By 2016, the railway and mine were both closed.^[4] As of 2026, mines were operating in Bong again, and so was the railroad.^[8]

The Lamco Railway began operation in 1963, and takes its name from the mining company that built it: the Liberian-American-Swedish Mining Company.^[9][5]: 45 It was partially rebuilt by ArcelorMittal and put back into service in 2011.^[4] As of 2025, this freight railway line runs for 243 kilometres (151 mi), from the port of Buchanan to mining regions around Yekepa, near the border with Guinea.^[10] There has been a proposal to extend the Lamco railway to serve a mine across the border in Guinea.^[11]

Liberia's road network is relatively underdeveloped, though recent years have seen significant improvements. A 2016 road inventory found approximately 11,000 kilometres (6,800 mi) of roads in the country, though only around 550 km (340 mi) are paved. The paved roads are mostly in good condition, while the unpaved roads are mostly in poor condition, especially in rural and inland areas.^[5]: 7–9

A 2018 analysis estimated that only 42% of the rural population had access to an all-season road within walking distance. However, this represented an increase of 8 percent, due in part to road improvement projects on the Monrovia-Buchanan and international Monrovia-Ganta-Guinea corridors. Road access remains highly variable across different parts of the country, and transport costs outside of major transport corridors are high (above 10 USD/ton).^{[5]: 17–19, 23}

The Trans–West African Coastal Highway, a multinational highway stretching along the western African coast from Senegal to Nigeria, passes through Liberia.^[12] Roadways connecting Liberia to its neighbors exist, but the highway is in a variable state of paving, quality, and usefulness. Once the highway is fully upgraded, it will cross the country, connecting it to Freetown (Sierra Leone), Abidjan (Ivory Coast), and eventually to 11 other nations of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).^[13]

Liberia has four major commercial ports, and nearly all of Liberia's international trade takes place by sea. Around half of the Liberian population lives within 2 hours of one of these ports. Monrovia primarily handles imports, and Buchanan mostly handles exports. The port of Monrovia collects 70% of the country's customs revenue. Monrovia handles more than 95% of the country's imports, with petroleum products and food being two major import commodities there. Iron ore and clinker are major exports through the port.^{[5]: 24–25, 31, 46–49}

The port of Buchanan handles the second-most freight value in the country (1.7%), and most of the country's exports by weight. It is the railhead for the iron ore exports from the Lamco railway. As a result, 95% of the port's cargo is iron ore. The other two significant ports are Greenville and Harper, both of which are focused on lumber.^{[5]: 24–25, 33, 46–49}

Liberia is an international flag of convenience for freight shipping.^[14] More than 5,000 ships are registered on the Liberian International Ship and Corporate Registry, representing 14% of the world's merchant fleet.^[15] The LISCR is a major source of money and diplomatic power for Liberia, and is operated out of the United States.^[16]

Total: 3,942 (2021)

Ships by type: barge carrier 1,487, container ship 878, general cargo 131, oil tanker 851, other 595 (2021)^[1]

The main international airport in the country is Roberts International Airport, located approximately 35 miles outside of Monrovia.^[17]: 51

Total: 2 Over 3,047 m (10,000 ft): 1 1,524 to 2,437 m (5,000 to 8,000 ft): 1 (2017)

Total: 27 1,524 to 2,437 m (5,000 to 8,000 ft): 5 914 to 1,523 m (3,000 to 4,999 ft): 8 Under 914 m (3,000 ft): 14 (2013)^[1]

• Economy of Liberia

• "LiberiaEntry". Fahrplancenter.com. Retrieved 26 October 2017.