By Augustine Octavius
The European Union and Liberia have signed a US$6.9 million agreement to pave the 47-kilometer road from Sanniquellie in Liberi’s northeastern Nimba County to the town of Loguatuo on the Ivorian border.
The agreement was signed by Ambassador Helen Cave, head of the European Union delegation to Liberia and the Minister of Finance and Development Planning, Samuel Tweah, on behalf of the Liberian government.
Speaking at the signing ceremony, Ambassador Cave said the road will connect Liberia to Ivory Coast and facilitate as well as improve regional connectivity and trade between the two countries.
The project includes the construction of a one stop border post at Loguatuo to enable authorities monitor imports and exports to and from the country, according to the EU Ambassador.
“This is the only road remaining section of the West African highway linking Nouakchott to Lagos, via Dakar that has not yet secured financing; she said; adding: “ the rest will be co financed by the African Development Bank which will be also the lead financing institution having the overall responsibility for the implementation of the project,” Ambassador Cave said.
“We hope this road will also allow the Liberian private sector to take full opportunity to penetrate other regional markets,” Ambassador Cave went on; because “It is also critical that the government ensures that the private sector can blossom by enabling favorable private sector policies,” the EU Ambassador added.
For his part, Finance and Development Planning Minister, Samuel Tweah thanked and appreciation the EU on behalf of the government and people of Liberia.
Minister Tweah added that the economy is failing because Liberia has not been able to develop a robust private sector investment over the years.
According to the Finance and Development Planning Minister, this road will also have revenue implication through the one stop border point which is critical to the domestic resource mobilization strategy.
“Today, the Liberian economy is failing because, we have not been able to develop a robust private sector that is resilience to shock and grow jobs,” Minister Tweah said.
“The logic we have developed is that we build roads to enable private sector reach out and create jobs.”
“If that does not happen, it places the country in a difficult situation because in the last 12 years , we have on our books about one billion United States Dollars for construction of all sorts projects aimed at stimulating the economy,” said Liberian Finance Minister.
He assured the European Union diplomat that the government will ensure that gender and young people are given consideration so as to provide some jobs.
The project is a part of the highway intended to link the countries of the Mano River Union and West African Nouakchott-Dakar-Lagos highway envisaged by the ECOWAS heads of states a little over years.
Liberia has only 500 kilometer asphalted roads, most of which upgraded with funding from the European Union.