(LINA) – The African Development Bank (AfDB) has announced plans to construct 118km of road to connect the capitals of River Gee and Grand Gedeh counties in southeastern Liberia.
The Bank describes the road as a “major corridor” under the Pro-poor Agenda, the country’s new development plan.
In a letter to Finance and Development Planning Minister Samuel Tweah, AfDB country representative Orison Amu said the Bank intends to leverage more resources for Liberia to do road construction which will “connect with regional countries.”
The announcement is a major boast for the government’s drive to improve infrastructure through road connectivity.
The communication was in response to the Government’s request for the AfDB to fund the pavement of the road linking Barclayville to Sasstown.
Amu said the AfDB is pleased to “reconsider the request for co-financing,“ along with the ECOWAS Bank for Investment and Development, (EBID) during its next funding circle.
This announcement complements last month’s approval of US$50 million by EBID’s board, which they described as “partial” funding for the coastal highway.
The Barclayville-Sasstown corridor is a vital component of the coastal highway that President George Manneh Weah pledged to build during his first address to the National Legislature in 2018.
The AFDB’s representative also informed Minister Tweah that the Bank has commenced “engagements on a new pipeline linking Liberia to Sierra Leone through the northern border and with Cote d’Ivoire on the northwestern border”.
He said the project will help “synergize the Bank’s road transport development in the region.”
On the margins of the IMF/World Bank Spring Meetings, Minister Tweah thanked AfDB President Akinwumi Adesina for the bank’s support to the Pro-Poor Agenda.
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