Lofa county

Lofa is one of the 15 counties into which Liberia is divided and is the most northerly of all. It is home to Mount Wuteve, Liberia's highest peak. The largest city is Voinjama, and the second is Zorzor. Lofa County was created in 1963 during the presidency of William S.V. Tubman, along with those of Grand Gedeh, Bong, and Nimba.

Lofa County covers 10,151.17 km², equivalent to 10.20% of Liberian territory. According to the 2008 census, it has 276,863 inhabitants, 8% of the country's population.

History

The insurgencies that hit Lofa County in April and August 1999 caused significant setbacks to the programs of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), as Lofa was the county that received the most returned refugees, mainly of Guinea, after the Liberian civil war. Lofa County was among the last to be pacified after the war, fighting was still going on in late 1999 when the last ECOMOG troops left Liberia.

As of the 1984 Census, the county had a population of 199,242. Many people left the area as refugees in 1999 and in the early 2000s it became a major focus of fighting during the Liberian civil war. The Red Cross said that in January 2004 many people had started to return from refugee camps in Guinea and Sierra Leone. At that time the county's population was estimated to be 34,310 residents. The largest city and the distinguished capital is Voinjama with a population of 4,945. Foya is the second largest city (population 1,760). Lofa is the birthplace of Doctor Harry Moniba.

Society

Lofa is the county with the highest number of single-parent female households. Situation caused by the number of men killed throughout the civil war according to an interpretation of the census result by the Liberian government. It registers one of the highest levels of female child labor, located especially in the area of cross-border street trade.

Education

The women of Lofa together with those of Grand Bassa and Bomi have the lowest average attendance in secondary education in the country. A fact that is attributed to the weight of the traditional initiation schools (Sande Bush), which prepare girls early for marriage. By marrying very young and the early arrival of children, the social burden of women increases and reduces their training opportunities, according to analysis by the Liberian government.

Economy

Lofa reported the highest proportion of farm households headed by female cocoa farmers, followed by Nimba and River Gee. The highest proportion of female-headed farm households was recorded in Lofa, while Grand Bassa had the lowest.

Ethnic groups

Among the traditional African ethnic groups settled in the county are:

• Bandi
• Bele: The Bele or Belle village is a group of agricultural tradition of Mande origin and maintains communities on the banks of the river Lofa in the county of the same name, as on the river Saint Paul.