Robertsport, Grand Cape Mount County – On Monday, 18 April 2016, the Government of Liberia through the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, National Social Security and Welfare Corporation and Liberia Revenue Authority launch the First Mobile Business Registration exercise in Robertsport, Grand Cape Mount County to the celebrations of market women, petty traders, and shop owners.

In 2011, the Government established the Liberia Business Registry (LBR), a one-stop shop to formalize or register all enterprises and provide information services to the public. However, the LBR is located in Monrovia, which is a considerable distance away from commercial activities around the country. Anyone wishing to register a business must either come over to Monrovia or make payments through representatives of LRA, and the issuance of certificate was delayed due to logistical constraints sometimes far beyond the staff in the county.

The Government decided to introduce Mobile Business Registration, as a Dry Season Deliverable to take the services of MoCI, NASSCORP and LRA to the people. Hence, in February 2016, a delegation headed by Minister Axel M. Addy and the late Deputy Minister for Commerce, Honorable Cyril A. Allen, II, participated in a Business Community Engagement Program in Robertsport, where Deputy Minister Allen promised the business community that the launch would take place in their city. The Ministry led the efforts to fulfill that promise when Assistant Minister for Commerce, Honorable Steve Marvie, as well as, representative from NASSCORP, LRA, and other senior and junior officials of MoCI, joined the county leadership represented by the Deputy Superintendent to launch and celebrate the first Mobile Business Registration Exercise in Liberia.

After the launch, the Mobile Business Registration team from MoCI, NASSCORP, and LRA set up their canopy in the market and began the registration of businesses. The first booklet of fifty (50) registration forms were exhausted within the two days, a testament to the ever-increasing need to take more GoL services to the people.