Promises Action On Roads, Urges Citizens To Separate Development From Politics
PHOTO: Finance Minister Augustine Ngafuan speaking recently in Grand Kru County
By Emmanuel Koffa
BARCLAYVILLE, Liberia— On a visit to the southeastern Grand Kru County recently, Finance and Development Planning Minister Augustine Kpehe Ngafuan assured citizens that government’s road intervention will soon get into action, with the presence of heavy road construction equipment.
He declared that soon, visible construction activities will kick off the county, demonstrating action rather than promises.
“The yellow machines will soon start doing the yellow things,” Ngafuan told citizens during a development engagement in Barclayville on Sunday, September 13, 2026.
The Finance Minister’s remark came as the Minister inspected yellow earthmoving equipment stationed in Barclayville as part of the government’s road works intervention in Grand Kru.
Ngafuan said the equipment should not be viewed merely as a symbol of government presence, but as a practical tool for improving road connectivity and easing transportation difficulties confronting residents.
His comment came during a citizens’ engagement at the Barclayville City Hall attended by local authorities, traditional leaders, youth and women representatives.
Beyond the road agenda, the Liberian Finance Minister used the gathering to make a broader appeal for national unity, arguing that government development programs should benefit citizens regardless of their political affiliation.
“In development there is no political party. If the yellow machines fix the roads, nobody going to ask for political party identification card to get on the road,” he said.
He cited electricity, education and other public services as examples of national investments that should not be viewed through partisan lenses.
“We bring light like the town hall we in, there is no political party ID card here. The education we going to be supporting, there is no political identity,” Ngafuan added.
The Boakai-Koung administration’s development agenda must ultimately be demonstrated through tangible improvements in the lives of Liberians, according to the Finance Minister.
“We going to move and the move is not in speech, the move is about improving the lives of our people,” he said.
Ngafuan also said that he would carry the concerns raised by Grand Kru citizens back to Monrovia and engage relevant government ministries and development partners.
“I am carrying messages back to Monrovia, to the Minister of Public Works and others, even our development partners. We going to act,” he said.
The engagement also provided an opportunity for Ngafuan to address concerns about County Development Funds.
He said the 2026 fiscal year is expected to see better and more timely disbursement of CDF compared with 2025, while insisting that the government has no intention of withholding funds intended for county development.
The Finance Minister, however, urged county authorities to take greater responsibility for early planning by working with their County Development Councils to identify priorities and submit development plans to the relevant government institutions.
Grand Kru Technical College construction works
During his Grand Kru assessment, Minister Ngafuan inspected the ongoing construction of a classroom annex at the Grand Kru Technical College and the newly completed Youth Center, in addition to reviewing the heavy-duty equipment positioned for road works.
The projects form part of a broader government development agenda that Ngafuan said must eventually translate into measurable improvements in communities.
With the heavy equipment already stationed in Barclayville, expectations are now shifting from when the machines will arrive to when they will begin work and where the road intervention will start.
The Finance Minister then urged citizens to remain united and support development beyond political divisions, assuring them that the Southeast remains important to the national development agenda.