The Ministry of Public Works has concluded a two-day working session in Monrovia to validate a Five-Year Infrastructure Strategic Plan for the country.
Public Works Minister-Designate, Ruth Coker-Collins and a host of other Authorities at the Ministry, including Deputy Ministers for Administration and Rural Development Joseph P. Todd and Benjamin Bantoe were in attendance.
The two-day interactive session also brought together Resident Engineers, as well as Directors and Assistant Directors of the ministry, representatives from the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning, and staff from the African Development Bank-funded Project Implementation Unit (PIU), amongst others.
The Strategic Plan which covers the period 2022 – 2027, provides a framework to guide the ministry towards achieving its vision and mission.
The development of the plan has benefited from an extensive cross-collaboration dialogue and engagement with many stakeholders involved with public infrastructure provision in Liberia.
Key targets include the construction of roads to connect all county capitals, development of various policies to support the mandate of the ministry, maintenance of primary, secondary, and feeder roads across the country, and provision of requiting supporting infrastructure to aid rural development covering water points, rural housing, and community services, respectively.
Other programs earmarked under the timeframe are: strengthening governance and compliance by undertaking technical audits for infrastructure, design of bridges and hydraulic structures on specific network bottlenecks, Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) of all projects under MPW’s portfolio, strengthening road maintenance, planning and monitoring as well as promoting environmental conservation and management.
Lastly, the plan looks at strengthening institutional capacity, training, and urban development, and soliciting additional funding from partners to support the project development for inclusiveness and enhancing social and economic mobility. Editing by Jonathan Browne
