By Edwin M. Fayia, III
The challenges of Liberia’s road network have been an endless illusion for farmers and businesses for decades, hampering their socioeconomic outputs in many parts of the country.
Each year, farmers, development partners and businessmen and women continue to encounter extensive challenges on most of Liberia rural roads, owing to lack of maintenance and sometimes neglect by past and present governments.
As a result, hundreds of commercial vehicles and private transport service providers are often stranded on deplorable parts of major highways and farm to market roads in the country.
Owing to such continued hardships, farmers and business people have not been able to realize the kind dividends and profit margins on produce, goods and services for year in and year out in many parts of Liberia.
Several studies conducted by Liberian and foreign road experts have revealed that best remedy to the nation road network is to pave all major highways connecting the 15 counties of Liberia.
During the peak of the rainy season in Liberia, Liberians, development partners and the greater business community, as well as go through all kinds of challenges and travel hardships due to the perennial deplorable conditions of many roads in the country.
Besides, the regular upgrading and maintenance of farm to market roads by the country stakeholders and support partners cannot be overemphasized.
For a classic example, in the Northeast of Nimba County, densely populated plantain growing area, farmers yearly managed to harvest thousands of plantains, eddoes and cassava for the urban markets of Kakata, Margibi and Monrovia in Montserrado Counties.
But sadly, most of the critically needed harvested produce packaged in trucks remains on the highways as a result of the deplorable roads and at the end gets rotten; thus, rendering their efforts and labour useless and non-profitable in many parts of Liberia.
Over the years, farmers, business people and development partners have on many occasions complained endlessly about the deplorable conditions of major roads and farm to market roads in several parts of the country.
Regrettably, such public outcries and perpetual hardships have remained not addressed and trade and commerce continue to deteriorate throughout the country.
According to some of the road experts, most the nation food produce especially cassava, plantain, eddoes and corn come from areas that roads remain in very deplorable conditions.
However, some serious efforts have been made over the past 12 years to connect some important parts of the country such as the central business cities of Kakata, Gbarnga and Ganta and to the Guinea border in Margibi, Bong and Nimba Counties.
At the same time, some major road contracts have been awarded by the Liberian Government some through grants and loans geared toward connecting vital roads and highways in the country.
While Liberians, business community and development continue to applaud those vital initiatives especially regarding the road network of the country, vast portion of the nation still remain unconnected by good roads.
However, many Liberians and road experts have alluded on many occasions that the surest way to experience the growth and progress of the economy is for current and incoming government must place the nation road network as priority number one.
And then, education (Vocational and technical), health (capacity building of medical personnel) and extensive investment in medical infrastructure in strategic parts of the country.
The custodian of the nation road network programs Ministry of Public Works has crafted an ambition plan and submitted same to the major multilateral and bilateral partners for assistance and implementation.
In the candid and passionate words of Public Works Minister William Gyude Moore, if such crafted could be financed and supported by Liberia development partners, the challenges being faced and encountered by Liberians and development partners could be minimized or addressed.
Minister Moore noted that after years of study about the road conditions in Liberia, the MPW has concluded that reconstruction of the nation roads should be carried out concrete cement pavement.
In some comments sounded through this newspaper by Liberians pointed to the fact that nation road network must be given prominent position in the national agenda for the transformation of the country.