Meeting the growing demand for flights to Liberia, Delta Air Lines Inc. is planning on starting a new weekly flight to Monrovia to complement its flights on Wednesdays and Sundays, according to a Delta spokesperson.

The new service is yet another reason businesses should consider investing in the West African country, said Cynthia Nash, Atlanta's honorary consul general of Liberia, at a seminar on tax incentives for doing business in the country.

Flights to Liberia were discontinued 20 years ago because of the violence that overwhelmed the country. But service from Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport was renewed last September during a ceremony that Ms. Nash attended. The start of the new service has yet to be announced.

Speaking at the Georgia Department of Agriculture's office downtown on June 9, Ms. Nash said the flights made doing business in the country much easier.

At the seminar, Liberian officials from the Ministry of Finance joined Ms. Nash in extolling the benefits and ease of investing in Liberia. The government is currently working to encourage investment by modernizing its tax system, scaling back on customs and suspending tariffs in certain sectors.

A number of officials from Liberia's Ministry of Finance spoke in support of these initiatives, including Francis Karpeh, deputy minister for administration; Andrew Paygar, assistant minister for revenue; Sebastian Weah, acting principal director of the real estate division and Decontee King-Sackie, commissioner of customs and excise.

Mr. Paygar said that executive orders from President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf had eliminated tariffs for companies in the transportation, mining and forestry sectors.

The government is also working on making the process of exporting into Liberia easier by removing some regulations and automating the process, said Ms. King-Sackie. In 2009, the customs process in Freeport on the Atlantic coast became completely automated, she added.

According to the officials, these changes are all part of an effort to facilitate investment in a country that has suffered economically after 14 years of civil war.

From 1989-96 and 1997-2003, Liberia was ravaged by two civil wars. The conflict ended with the resignation of President Charles Taylor in 2003 and two years later Ms. Sirleaf was elected.

Despite the efforts of Ms. Sirleaf and others to repair the economy, the country still has a long way to go. According to the World Bank, Liberia ranks 155 out of 183 countries in terms of the ease of doing business.

The officials argue that the new regulations will create a stable environment for trade and investment.

“Liberia has opened its doors from north to south and from east to west,” said Christopher Nippy, first secretary of political and consular affairs at Liberia's embassy in Washington.

Georgia has taken advantage of this opening, increasing exports by 72 percent in 2010 at a value of $4.2 million.

Ricardo Hubler, director of the global business growth for the Metro Atlanta Chamber, credited the boost in trade to Delta flights and Ms. Nash's work as consul general.

“Business or trade is developed when you have direct access and direct representation,” said Mr. Hubler.

After years of civil war, Ms. Nash said Liberia needs investment from Georgia. The country’s infrastructure has still not been entirely repaired and it lacks a proper sewage system, she said.

Mr. Hubler and Ms. Nash agreed that as the country repairs economically, there is a lot of room for investment from Georgia companies.

“As they stabilize and grow, they're looking for services and products that we have to offer,” Mr. Hubler told GlobalAtlanta after the conference.

The top three exports from Georgia are second-hand machinery, transportation equipment and food products, said Mr. Hubler.

He added that there are plenty of opportunities in other sectors including telecommunications, tourism, property development, hospitality and financial technology.

With very little infrastructure, Liberia is a potential location for new technology such as solar batteries in cell phones, said Ms. Nash.

She said that since the country lacks proper roads and energy grids, there are no old structures holding it back from brand new technology.

For more information, visit http://liberianconsulatega.com.

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