By Patrick Teah Jr.
Frustrated by mounting business losses and poor road access, the business community in Buah, Dorbor Administrative District, District #2, Grand Kru County, has launched a self-help road rehabilitation initiative, declaring that they can no longer wait for intervention while their livelihoods suffer.
Speaking to Verity News on October 19, 2026, Alphonso Nyenneh said the initiative was driven by the need to protect their commodities, which are frequently damaged during transportation from Monrovia through Pleebo, Barclayville, and Nrokai to Buah Jlateken.
“We have decided to help ourselves because our goods are damaging,” Nyenneh said, describing the financial losses traders face as commodities take excessively long to reach their destinations.
He disclosed that the business community approached Hilary Gray, a miner and businessman based in Bolloh Poe, for assistance with an excavator, bulldozer, and other road equipment. According to him, Gray agreed to help, and rehabilitation work began on September 19, 2026.
Nyenneh said the Barclayville route and the River Gee road leading to Bolloh remain major transportation challenges, forcing traders to move goods in small quantities and contributing to rising prices.
He revealed that commodities can take between two and three months to reach Buah from Monrovia, with a 25-kilogram bag of rice now selling for L$5,000.
Beyond the economic hardship, Nyenneh warned that the situation threatens lives, as patients are often transported by motorbike to seek treatment at referral health facilities in Grandcess and Sasstown.
Meanwhile, Washington D. Seyon, secretary of the business community, disclosed that the association has raised more than L$1.2 million toward purchasing 20 drums of fuel to support the rehabilitation. He said 12 drums have already been purchased.
The business community called on county authorities to support their efforts where possible, urging officials not to obstruct the initiative if they cannot provide assistance.
Their intervention underscores growing frustration over inadequate road access in parts of Grand Kru County, where traders and residents continue to bear the economic and social costs of difficult transportation.
