MOA starts 28km road construction in Grand Kru

he Ministry of Agriculture through its Small Holder Agriculture Productivity Enhancement and Communalization project or SAPEC, breaks grounds for the construction of a 28-kilometer road project.

The US$1.2 million project financed by the African Development Bank will positively affect Big Fleneken and Pinicess- Grandcess waterside communities, respectively in Grand Kru County, southeast Liberia.

SAPEC will construct 18km road from Barclayville to Pinicess, and Grandcess Waterside and a 10 km from Barclayville to Big Fleneken, respectively. Project coordinator William Kalawalawu, says the one-year project is intended to reduce rural poverty and promote household food security by increasing income for smallholder farmers in Grand Kru through provision of access to road to enable locals sell their farm products.

He says the project is under the auspices of the Global Agriculture and food security program (GAP) implemented by the Ministry of Agriculture with support from the African Development Bank.

He continues that SAPEC is currently covering 12 of Liberia’s 15 counties to boost smallholder agriculture productivity. The SAPEC project coordinator speaking at the Barclayville city hall called on the citizens of the county to take ownership of the project to encourage the donor as a mean of paving their way for future projects from his entity.

Making remarks at the ground breaking ceremony, the director for program and management at the Ministry of Agriculture, Norwood Langley, extols Grand Kru County’s ex-lawmaker Numene T. H. Bartekwa, for his persistent engagement to ensure the project benefits his people.

The former lawmaker notes that though he is not in leadership for now, he remains supportive of efforts to improvising the living standard of the people of the county.

He urges citizens of Grand Kru electoral district#2, which he represented in the former 53rd Legislature and the county in general to give their overwhelming support to his successor, Representative Cllr. Jonathan Fornati Koffa, to move the district forward with rapid development.

For county superintendent Elizabeth Dempster, praises the Ministry of Agriculture and development partners for the initiative that is intended to bring relief to citizens of the county and boost the local economy.

Madam Dempster cautions the Coalition-led government to pay more attention to Agriculture, if Liberia should become self-sufficient in food production, particularly at county level.

By George K. Momo/ Grand Kru –Editing by Jonathan Browne