The coffee production in Liberia peaked at 209,000 60 kg bags in 1985, but ever since then coffee production in Liberia has been dropping, and as a result more farmers have been growing more profitable cash crops like cocoa and natural rubber. Even though this is the case, Liberia has been known for its specialty coffee; Coffea Liberica. This Coffee species produces large cherries, which work to enhance the sweetness of the bean. Unfortunately, due to many conflicts farmers have been forced to abandon their coffee farms, so in an attempt to revitalize the coffee market in Liberia the International Trade Center helped to disseminate 4,400 seedlings to farmers, but it is clear that more work needs to be done. Even processing is difficult as there is a significant gap in technical knowledge and access to resources. After harvesting, some farmers send their cherries to the ivory coast to be milled.
Liberia used to be a place where coffee exports were supported by slave labor and investments from the U.S. until 1980 when a military coup took place and an insurrection in 1989, leading to the country going through conflict and civil unrest and the ultimate decline in the coffee sector. Even though recently there has been an increase in the interest in Liberica, production volumes are too low to combat the demand for the beans. This means that the region, while plentiful in coffee beans, the ability to turn them into a profit is not quite there, showing that Liberia is not yet at the point where they can be economically prosperous
As one can see, Liberia still has a long way to go in order to be a global hegemon, and probably never will be. In fact, there has been a lack of a regional hegemon in sub-saharan Africa for quite some time. This is most likely due to the unstable political nature of the region as a whole, which has deterred many states from stepping up and becoming a global hegemon.