MONROVIA – In 2017 during the presidential election debate, then incumbent Vice President Joseph Nyuma Boakai when quizzed what was his development plan for Liberia, he responded by saying ‘roads, roads, roads, and roads’. He went on to say for any development to take place in Liberia be it in agricultural advancement, education, health services, marketing, commerce among others, the country roads needed to be built to meet the needs of its people.
And so, when the former Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC) government assumed state power in 2018, despite not presenting a convincing agenda to the Liberia population during the 2017 presidential and legislative elections campaign, they decided to pursue the former Vice President Boakai’s agenda, after he lost to the CDC’s George Weah.
As government is continuity, when the Weah’s administration took state power, it met unfinished road projects that its predecessor, the Unity Party administration of former President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf left on the cards. One of such projects was the Southeastern Corridor Road Asset Management Project, or SECRAMP—a public-private partnership designed to pave 225 kilometers from Ganta in Nimba County to Zwedru in Grand Gedeh County.
Six years later with a new government in place having defeated the former ruling Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC) government, the now ruling Unity Party government through the Ministry of Public Works has accused the former administration of President George Weah of misappropriating $29 million in World Bank funding intended for a major road project in the southeast, a diversion it says stalled progress on the critical Ganta-to-Zwedru corridor for more than two years.
Public Works Minister Roland Giddings, speaking during a recent appearance on “Class Reloaded,” which is a social media platform said the funds were earmarked for the Southeastern Corridor Road Asset Management Project, or SECRAMP—a public-private partnership designed to pave 225 kilometers from Ganta in Nimba County to Zwedru in Grand Gedeh County.
Instead, only 19 kilometers of road were completed under the CDC-led government before work came to a halt.
“The past government used $29 million out of the World Bank funding for the Tappita-to-Zwedru road for unknown expenses, which put the project to a halt until we took over,” Giddings said.
He noted that the World Bank was forced to restructure the agreement and withdraw certain financial guarantees due to the misuse, leaving the project in limbo. Contractors eventually abandoned the site, citing more than $5 million in unpaid arrears—debts the current government says it has since cleared.
Touching on Government revived projects, Giddings said the administration of President Joseph Boakai has fully reactivated the corridor project, with construction visible from Ganta to Tappita. “Contractors are currently mobilized and working to lay base courses before the peak of the rainy season”. “If you travel that stretch today, from Ganta through Saclepea to Tappita, you’ll see the progress. Contractors are back on site,” he intoned.
Beyond Tappita, Giddings said contracts have been finalized to pave a 40-kilometer stretch to Toe’s Town. Procurement is also underway for the final segment, from Toe’s Town to Zwedru, including a 10-kilometer extension to the Ivorian border.
The minister iterated full financing for the corridor has now been secured from multiple sources, including the African Development Bank, the OPEC Fund for International Development (OFID), and ECOWAS.
Commenting on transformative infrastructure, the Public Works Minister noted, once completed, the corridor will connect Monrovia to Liberia’s far southeastern counties via an all-weather paved road—a first in the nation’s history. “The project is expected to drastically reduce travel time, improve trade routes, and enhance access to health care, education, and public services for thousands of residents.”
The government also pointed to progress on regional connectivity, including a major bridge under construction over the Cavalla River, linking Grand Gedeh County with Côte d’Ivoire. The bridge project is financed by ECOWAS, and the Ivorian side of the road is already paved up to the Liberian border.
“We’ve inherited a broken project and turned it around,” Giddings said. “With the support of our partners and our commitment to the ARREST Agenda, this corridor will no longer be a dream – it will be a reality.”
He said the final legislative approval needed for the OFID financing is expected soon, paving the way – literally – for a fully connected southeastern Liberia.
Meanwhile, a former official in the CDC government has debunked the misuse allegation of road projects as alleged by Public Works Minister Roland Giddings.
Appearing on the OK FM morning rush show, former Assistant Minister for Administration at the Ministry of Public Works, Jefferson Chesson, described Giddings’ remarks as “factually incorrect and dangerously misleading.” He argued that no Liberian administration, past or present, has direct access to or discretion over World Bank disbursements, which are governed by strict fiduciary controls and Liberia’s Public Financial Management (PFM) Law.
“Disbursements under World Bank contracts follow strict procurement and audit protocols. If $29 million had been misused, the World Bank would have flagged it and halted disbursements immediately,” Chesson said on OK FM and later in a statement issued by him. He attributed the delay to additional biodiversity studies requested by the World Bank – a standard requirement for projects in environmentally sensitive areas.
Chesson accused Giddings of either misunderstanding or intentionally distorting World Bank procedures, asserting that such claims risk undermining public trust in international institutions. He challenged the minister to publicly request a World Bank audit and provide evidence that the funds were diverted.
“By alleging misuse, Minister Giddings is effectively accusing the World Bank of negligence or complicity. If he believes this, he must provide evidence or retract the statement,” Chesson stated, calling the accusations “either a case of gross incompetence or a blatant political smear.”
There has been war of words between former officials of the erstwhile CDC government and the now governing UP government, where claims and counterclaims have made over the who has constructed more roads than the other. The both CDC and UP governments have claimed to have constructed more roads than the other, but concerns are being mounted for them to provide documents to substantiate their claims so as to lay to rest which of the governments has constructed more roads in Liberia.
The Unity Party government of former President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf governed Liberia for 12 consecutive years (2006-2017), while the Coalition for Democratic Change of former President George Weah governed Liberia for six years (2018-2023). The UP returned to state power in 2024 with President Joseph Boakai leading the government. The road construction debate is between the current UP government officials and the former CDC government officials, as both are apparently using these claims to retain or return to state power in 2029.
