ADB To Pave Fish Town- Harper Road

The African Development Bank has agreed to fully pave the Fish Town- Harper Highway under its next round of projects on the continent. The ADB is expected to fund an intensive labor-based public works project of the Fish Town –Harper Highway that will make the road an all weather road.

following a four-day visit to Liberia, the Vice President of the bank has assured Liberian authorities that the road would be paved under the African Development Fund -12 popularly referred to as ADF-12.The Fish Town-Harper Road is currently being funded under ADF-11.

Finance Minister Augustine Kpehe Ngafuan made the announcement at a reception held in honor of the six-man ADB team that visited Liberia last week. Minister Augustine Ngafuan clarified that the pavement of the road would not be done under the current ADB project but the next round of projects that is pending approval by the Board of Governors of the bank.

Minister Ngafuan said the ADB is fast becoming a Liberian bank due to its rapid response to the Country’s development challenges. He disclosed that since the inception of the Ellen Johnson Sirleaf led government, the ADB support to Liberia has been enormous.

Minister Ngafuan told the gathering the bank is playing a leading role in a critical sector like water; stressing he has been assured that support to the sector will be scaled up.

The Finance Minister who is also Liberia’s Governor to the ADB said the bank’s intervention into several infrastructural projects in the Southeastern region of the country will yield huge economic returns for the people.

Minister Ngafuan believes such development initiative in schools, roads, agriculture production and labor based projects that will generate employment will be cardinal in depopulating Monrovia. He commended the ABD for all its support to Liberia and praised the role of the bank in Liberia’s debt relief efforts in helping to convince other creditors waived the country’s huge debt.

Meanwhile, the African Development Bank has pledged its commitment to Liberia’s reconstruction and future economic growth. The Vice President of the ADB at the end of a four day visit to Liberia said the bank was impressed with the level of progress made in public financial management in the country.

Dr. Kamal El Kheshen said the building of systems and procedures to ensure fiscal discipline and to fight corruption are encouraging. Speaking at a farewell reception over the weekend, Dr. El Kheshen said the African Development Bank is also excited by Liberia’s commitment to the extractive industries transparency initiative.”I must say how grateful and pleased we are at the ADB for you as a country to be the first on the continent to be EITI compliant”.

The ADB Vice President said it was also commendable for Liberia to include its forest resources in the process thus showing the high level of transparency that exits in the current political arrangement.Dr.El Kheshen described series of discussions held with Liberian stakeholders including President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf as very productive and rewarding.

He announced that the Fish Town Harper Road project will begin this dry season while the rehabilitation of the water treatment plant that will ensure the restoration of water to all of Montserrado County will kick off in October. He disclosed that Liberia could get more support in the agriculture sector of up to 50 million United States Dollars once the country meets bench marks laid down by such funds and make a submission not later than September 20 this year.

The farewell reception was attended by a cross section of Liberian government officials, members of the development community, diplomats accredited near the capital and some civil society actors. Former ADB Executive Director Francis Carpeh also attended the reception and was recognized for the role he played in attracting the ADB support to Liberia.