Montserrado County Service Center, oil terminal dedicated

President Ellen Johnson – Sirleaf has dedicated several projects here, including the Montserrado County Service Center in Bentol City, a US$15.3m International Development Association (IDA) funded new oil terminal at the Liberia Petroleum Refining Company (LPRC) on Bushrod Island and a grand opening of the Seventh Day Adventist (SDA) Church’s Millennium Guest House and Suit in Congo Town, among others.

Dedicating the County Service Center for Montserrado Wednesday, 20 December, Mrs. Sirleaf says it is one of the fulfillments of government’s promises, cautioning that the fulfillment is not fully completed because the Center does not function unless it is functioning.

She says if the Center doesn’t have form for the registrar to be able to register different things, the machines to issue driver licenses, then it is not functioning. As such, President Sirleaf says “we” have to go that extra mile, center by center to do an assessment to see if truly they are really working.

She notes that in many places [the centers] are working, thanking all those who made contributions to getting them in the place where they are rendering the service envisioned by the Deconcentration Program.

Following the dedication of the 15th County Service Center, Mrs. Sirleaf was honored and gowned at the Civil Compound in Bentol by the Ministry of Internal Affairs Women Association in recognition of her invaluable services rendered the people of Liberia and the world over since her election as Liberia and Africa’s first democratically elected female President.

Later at the LPRC facilities, Mrs. Sirleaf dedicated a US$15.3m fuel unloading facility, recalling how in 2006 she went to bed every night and praying for two facilities including the marginal wharf and the jetty.

“Because both of them were in such a state that if anything had happened to any of them, our economy would have collapsed,” Mrs. Sirleaf says, adding that it would have taken Liberia long time to rebuild due to the lack of capital required.

She notes that Liberia’s entire development was interrupted by the shocks the country faced as a result of decline in prices of the country’s two major exports, shocks of the Ebola disease and UNMIL transition. Mrs. Sirleaf expresses appreciation to all partners for their strong support, saying many of the things that started in 2016 are now being completed and ready to provide the Liberian people services planned by government.

Earlier at the grand opening of the SDA Church’s Millennium Guest House and suit in Congo Town, Mrs. Sirleaf praised the contribution of the Church in Liberia, noting that the country always has a strong partnership with the Church.

“That partnership goes all the way back into history,” she says, adding that throughout “our” national evolution the Church has provided great contribution to the country’s development, citing management of schools, clinics, and support to higher institutions of learning, among others.

She recalls the days of missionaries when Liberia benefited from their missions all over the country where children were protected, taught quality education and learned to be good Christians. She thanked the SDA Church for its contribution to the country’s development, peace, for prayers that have kept the country at peace and creating jobs for the people.

At the dedication of the oil terminal, National Port Authority (NPA) Managing Director Mr. David F. Williams says with the new state of the art Oil Terminal, it will be able to accommodate vessels up to 60,000 tons deadweight capacity with a length of over 200 meters and a draft of over 11.5 meters as compared to the old jetty which handled vessels of 15,000 tons deadweight on average.

For his part, LPRC Managing Director Mr. Jackson F. Doe says with the new terminal, the Corporation will be able to discharge petroleum products in an expeditious manner with the completion of the new state of the art jetty. He gives thanks to the President for the completion of the project as well as partners for their support.

By Winston W. Parley