In the quiet corners of Liberia, nestled between villages and winding dirt roads, a boy named Momo Gbanya Kandakai once wandered barefoot through the grasses of Kandakai Town, his birthplace. He had no idea then that decades later, his name would be behind a company fighting to restore trust and transparency in a country’s chaotic real estate industry.
Humble Beginnings and a Winding Path
“I was born in Liberia, in a small village called Kandakai Town in Bong County,” Momo begins, speaking with the grounded tone of someone who has traveled far but never lost sight of home. “I attended elementary school in a town called Gbartala, not too far from where I was born. Then
I went on to junior high in Suakoko, also not far from there.”
His early education would take him across the country, eventually landing him in Sanniquellie
Central High in Nimba County. After completing high school, he made his first journey out of
Liberia, to Nigeria, where he trained as a land surveyor for two years. When he returned, he
joined Liberia’s Forestry Development Authority and worked there for three years before another
significant chapter began.
“I came to the U.S. and completed my college education. I earned a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering and then moved directly into the computer field. I became a computer technician and did that for 20 years.”
After retirement, Momo took his first real leap into business. “The first business I started was a solar company called SolaAfric. I started it in Liberia to provide electricity, but it didn’t survive because I couldn’t get funding. In the solar business, the overhead costs are very high.”
But failure didn’t stop him. Instead, it rerouted him to something he had always dreamed about: real estate. “Eventually, I jumped into something I always wanted to do, real estate. I started a company called LIB Homes Inc, and that’s the company I’m running in Liberia today.”
Building Trust in a Broken System
To understand LIB Homes is to understand post-war Liberia. “To really explain my company, you have to understand the environment in Liberia,” Momo says.
“There was a civil war in Liberia that ended around 2003. After the war, people who had left the
country started returning. That created a huge number of property disputes. People had left for
more than 14 years, and during that time, others started taking over their land and homes.”
Even now, more than two decades later, land disputes remain common. “That’s the environment LIB Homes was born into. We wanted to use the government’s policies and laws to make sure there’s proper due diligence in every real estate transaction in Liberia.”
Through LIB Homes, Momo has become a kind of peacekeeper. “The laws are in place, the government has good laws. The problem is that people don’t follow them. Some people buy property in Liberia without involving the government or even using a lawyer.”
LIB Homes is trying to change that. “Before we list any property, we conduct the initial vetting
process to make sure the owner is legitimate. Once we’re confident, we list the property on
libhomes.com and advertise it on social media, billboards, radio and TV stations. We then advise
all our clients of our policy. All buyers must do a buyer-beware due diligence by hiring a
government-licensed surveyor from the Liberia Land Authority and a qualified lawyer.”
A Moment That Changed Everything
Momo remembers the day the idea for LIB Homes became clear. He was having lunch at Royal Hotel in Monrovia when he noticed a waitress close to tears.
“I asked her if she was okay, and she said yes. But I could tell she wasn’t. Later, she came back, stopped by my table, bent down, and said to me, in a typical Liberian accent, ‘I have trouble.’”
The trouble was that her husband had been killed, murdered by his own brother over land. “I thought to myself, maybe there’s something I can do. Since I was already involved in real estate in the U.S. as a real estate agent at Berkshire Hathaway, I realized I could bring some of those best practices to Liberia and help reduce land disputes.”
That moment shaped the mission behind LIB Homes, Inc. That mission is built on trust and
transparency. “When you visit our website, libhomes.com, the first words you’ll see will be a
quote by Denise Morrison:
“The single most important ingredient in the recipe for success is transparency, because
transparency builds trust.”
Staying in the Game
Though only three to four years old, LIB Homes has managed to stay visible and relevant. “Most of our customers find us online. If you go online right now and search for land for sale in Liberia, LIB Homes will be one of the top results.”
Momo’s background in tech, refined during his years in the U.S., has been key. But resilience has also played a part, especially when disaster struck. “The biggest obstacle we faced was last year
in December. A seemingly trusted employee robbed the business of a sizable amount of cash and
several items of company assets.”
“We moved quickly and replaced the company assets, updated billboards and contact
information. We also alerted our customers and reassured them that the problem was
immediately addressed and new mechanisms were put in place to guard against future such
occurrences.”
Big Wins and Bigger Impact
Despite the setbacks, Momo is optimistic. “We are proud to announce last year that we sold our biggest property so far in Liberia, for just over $200,000.” LIB Homes also acquired a rental property that now has six tenants and provides steady income.
But for Momo, the deeper impact is personal.
“Yes, my family is in Liberia, but I live both in Liberia and the U.S., so I’m constantly going back and forth because, as I mentioned, I do real estate in both countries. My wife and I, while in the U.S., support our brothers, sisters, and their children who are in school. We’ve been helping them since elementary school, and now some are in college. One is currently in medical school, and another is studying to become a lawyer.
When I’m in Liberia, I make time to meet with them, talk to them, and encourage them to stay in school. Every month, we send each student about $50 for transportation, and we also pay their school fees. This isn’t related to LIB Homes, but it’s something I’m deeply, deeply proud of,” said Momo.
Advice from Experience
To up-and-coming entrepreneurs, Momo offers practical advice. “Start very small. Just go around your neighborhood and ask people if they’re looking to sell or rent their homes.”
He suggests starting with the tools at hand. “Create a Facebook page and post rental properties. Facebook is free, and that’s where you can start.”
And don’t forget to show up. “When in the US, we don’t miss the opportunity to attend Liberian events. We set up pop-up tents, hand out flyers, and talk to people about what we do.” He will also attending the African Development Conference in the US which will put him in contact with others who care about developing Africa.”
Trust and Transparency Above All
When asked about the most important lesson he’s learned, Momo is clear. “The number one thing is to be yourself. Always be honest. Trust and transparency matter. If you try to deceive people, they’ll see through it, and they won’t want to do business with you.”
That principle, above all, is what LIB Homes is built on. Honesty, integrity, and a deep belief that real estate should not be a battlefield, but a bridge.
