Road Projects Doubts Clear

As Pres. Sirleaf discards notions of World Banks ownership


MONROVIA -President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf yesterday, April 20, 2010, during a press conference held in the C. Cecius Dennis auditorium at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to address national issues clarified that road projects taking place in the country were not solely a World Bank’s undertaking.

Though there have been speculations around town that road projects being carried out in the country was a World Bank’s project, President Sirleaf disclosed that the world bank was only managing funding that it as well as other donors have provided through the Liberia infrastructure funds.

The Liberia Infrastructure Fund was established in line with the PRS; through the World Bank, at the major donor conference held 2007 in Berlin, Germany.

“That trust fund is managed by the world bank. Any donor and we encourage all donors supporting our infrastructure to put that money into that fund. Under our PRS, base upon consultation with the people, we have said in infrastructure, roads are our number one priority,” Madam Sirleaf said.

This statement came in wake of a question posed to the president by a member of the press who was to take credit for the road projects.

According to president Sirleaf in her elaboration, some of the roads in the country was being undertaking by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) as well as the government of Liberia using taxpayers money but the rest was being funded by the trust fund.

The president pointed out the road to Roberts port, Cape Mount County, and Todee as a project funded and undertaken by USAID according to their policy.

Other projects such as the S K D Boulevard and the A B Tolbert Road among others undertaking by the Government of Liberia and funded with taxpayer money.

The president further pleaded with Liberians to understand, that ‘no donor has any project in Liberia.

“They support us, we appreciate their support, they provide funding to supplement our resources, but it is not their project. It is your project. It is the Liberian project,” she said.