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By LAEJN Editorial Team
Small and medium agro-processors in Liberia continue to face major constraints, including limited access to finance, labor-intensive production methods, weak food safety standards, and restricted market access. These challenges disproportionately affect women-led enterprises and limit their ability to scale operations, create jobs, and integrate into structured agricultural value chains.
Nimba Pastry Before RETRAP Support
Before support from the Rural Economic Empowerment Project (RETRAP), which is implemented by the Ministry of Agriculture with funding from the Government of Liberia and the World Bank, NIMBA Pastry, a women-owned cassava-based enterprise operated by Dwedor Freeman, functioned as a small, informal business. Production relied on traditional brick ovens and manual processing methods, resulting in low output volumes, high physical labor, and inconsistent product quality.
“I was working with local ovens, bending my back over raw firewood. Everything was manual, and it affected my health,” Mrs. Freeman said.
Despite steady demand for her cassava-based pastries, the business was unable to expand due to limited capital, outdated equipment, and weak distribution capacity.
With financing from the World Bank, RETRAP provides targeted support to agribusinesses engaged in cassava value addition, with a focus on women-led enterprises. Mrs. Freeman, CEO of Nimba Pastry, was selected as a grantee and received a comprehensive support package, including a US$250,000 matching grant, modern bakery and food-processing equipment, a new delivery vehicle, and training in business management, food safety, and operations.
“The day I was told I was approved, I couldn’t even walk properly. But when I heard the news, I jumped from my sick bed. It was a dream come true,” she said.
The RETRAP intervention enabled NIMBA Pastry to transition from firewood-based baking to a modern, mechanized production system. The enterprise now operates gas-powered ovens and automated processing equipment, significantly improving efficiency and product consistency. Current production capacity has increased to approximately 150 bread pans every 20 minutes, while baking time and physical labor requirements have been substantially reduced.
“Now I just press a button, and the machine works. I don’t have to sweat like before,” Mrs. Freeman noted.
Jobs Creation and Skills Development
The expansion has also resulted in increased employment and skills development. The business workforce grew from seven to 27 full-time employees, the majority of whom are women. In addition, the enterprise conducts in-house training to transfer baking and processing skills to community members.
“When I started, I had seven workers. Today, we are 27,” Nimba Pastry CEO disclosed with smiles and appreciation.
RETRAP support has further strengthened linkages within the cassava value chain. NIMBA Pastry sources High Quality Cassava Flour (HQCF) from four local cassava farmers, including women producers, and uses 100 percent cassava flour for pastries, while blending cassava and wheat flour for yeast-based bread products.
“For pastries, I use 100 percent cassava. For bread, I blend cassava with wheat because cassava is gluten-free,” she explained.
Improved processing standards and access to reliable transportation have also enhanced market access. The enterprise now supplies several major supermarkets in Monrovia and operates under improved hygiene and food safety conditions.
The investment has contributed to women’s economic participation, local job creation, and increased demand for domestically produced cassava. By linking smallholder farmers to value-added processing and urban markets, RETRAP supports impact substitution, food safety improvements, and inclusive private-sector growth.
“This support changed my life. But more than that, it shows that cassava can compete and create opportunities for many people,” Nimba Pastry CEO further disclosed.
Mrs. Freeman plans to expand production, improve packaging and branding, and increase cassava procurement from local farmers to meet rising demand. With continued technical support and market development, NIMBA Pastry is expected to serve as a model for women-led agro-processing under Liberia’s agricultural transformation agenda.
Alignment with National and Development Partner Priorities
The intervention is closely aligned with Liberia’s Agricultural Sector Investment Plan (ASIP), which aims to modernize agriculture, increase productivity, and strengthen value chains across key crops, including cassava. By supporting women-led agribusinesses like NIMBA Pastry, RETRAP contributes directly to the government’s ARREST Agenda for inclusive growth, which emphasizes sustainable economic development, job creation, and the empowerment of historically underserved groups, particularly women and youth.
The project also reflects the World Bank’s strategic priorities on fostering women’s economic empowerment, promoting value chain development, and facilitating private-sector-led job creation. Through linking smallholder cassava farmers to urban markets, improving processing technologies, and providing capacity-building support, RETRAP demonstrates how targeted investments can generate inclusive economic opportunities, enhance food security, and strengthen Liberia’s domestic agro-processing sector.
