Liberia’s President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf has ordered a 60-day moratorium on official overseas travel to save the country’s depleted foreign currency reserves.
According to a statement issued over the weekend, the measures apply to all ministers and the heads of other government bodies, their deputies and assistants.
“Exceptions will only be granted by the president herself following a one-on-one meeting with the official requesting to travel and if it is determined that such travel is of utmost imperative in the national interest,” the statement said.
The statement further stated that the country’s economy has been hit hard by the Ebola epidemic and price slumps for export commodities iron ore and rubber. Liberia is facing an “alarming situation of capital flight.”
