MONROVIA, Oct. 27 -- On paper, Liberia has some of the cheapest petrol in West Africa. Away from the capital, it may have some of the most expensive in the region.

By Rodney D Sieh

The gap between those two facts is now a political problem for President Joseph Boakai's economic team. Lawmakers are asking why better macroeconomic numbers have not lowered what ordinary Liberians pay for fuel, rice and building materials.

A regional bargain, on paper

Industry tracker GlobalPetrolPrices compiled data on 12 October covering 41 African countries. In that ranking, Liberia's octane-95 petrol sold for $1.269 a litre, the 13th-cheapest of the 41. Every one of its neighbours pays more. Guinea's price was $1.364 a litre and Cote d'Ivoire's $1.55....