The Government of Liberia has secured a US$30 million loan from the Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa (BADEA) to fund the paving of the Salayea-Konia Road, a key stretch of the Gbarnga-Mendikorma Highway that links Bong and Lofa counties.
The agreement was signed Tuesday in Vienna during the OPEC Fund Development Forum and the institution’s 50th anniversary celebrations.
Finance and Development Planning Minister Augustine Kpehe Ngafuan signed on behalf of Liberia, while BADEA President Abdullah Almusabeeh signed for the bank.
The funding will cover the construction and upgrading of the Salayea-Konia corridor, a road expected to ease travel, lower transportation costs and improve access to markets and basic services for communities in the two counties.
Speaking at the signing ceremony, Ngafuan thanked BADEA for its support and said the investment would benefit thousands of people.
“On behalf of President Joseph Nyuma Boakai and the Government and people of Liberia, I extend sincere appreciation to BADEA for this significant investment in our nation’s infrastructure. This financing demonstrates confidence in Liberia’s development trajectory and will have a transformative impact on communities across Bong and Lofa Counties,” Ngafuan said.
He said the Salayea-Konia road is part of the government’s broader effort to improve infrastructure in northwestern Liberia. He noted that financing from BADEA, the Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development, the Saudi Fund for Development and the OPEC Fund has made the project possible.
According to the Finance Minister, the road will help farmers move their produce more easily, create jobs and strengthen trade with neighboring Sierra Leone and Guinea through the Mano River Union.
Ngafuan said the government would work to ensure that the agreement is ratified and implemented without delay.
BADEA is also considering support for projects in Liberia’s energy, water, and sanitation and health sectors. Discussions are underway on the Botota-Mendikorma Electrification Project, water supply systems in Ganta, Buchanan and Kakata, and sewage rehabilitation in Montserrado County.
Ahead of the signing ceremony, Ngafuan renewed President Joseph Boakai’s invitation to BADEA and other Arab financiers to attend Liberia’s 179th Independence Day celebrations in July.
The visit is expected to coincide with the dedication of the completed 81-kilometer Gbarnga-Salayea Road and the official launch of the Salayea-Konia-Voinjama section.
Responding to the invitation, BADEA President Abdullah Almusabeeh thanked President Boakai and said he intends to visit Liberia for the ceremonies.
“I extend heartfelt thanks and appreciation to President Joseph Boakai for the invitation, and I am making plans to visit Liberia in July for the dedication of the completed pavement of the Gbarnga-Salayea Road and the launch of the Salayea-Konia-Voinjama leg of the project, to which BADEA is committing a financing package of US$30 million,” Almusabeeh said.
The Salayea-Konia-Voinjama road project is expected to improve transportation in northwestern Liberia and strengthen links with neighboring countries.
