MONROVIA – Finance and Development Planning Minister Augustine Kpehe Ngafuan and Public Works Minister Roland Lafayette Giddings on Wednesday held extensive discussions with a visiting mission from the OPEC Fund for International Development (OFID), led by Mourad Bouaou, Director of Portfolio Management for the Public Sector. The meeting focused on sustaining and expanding financing for the Gbarnga–Mendikorma Highway, one of Liberia’s most critical regional road corridors.
Mr. Bouaou described the talks as highly productive, as both sides reviewed ongoing progress and explored avenues for accelerating implementation. The OPEC Fund remains one of the original Arab lenders supporting the highway project, which forms part of the Trans–West African Highway Network linking Liberia to Guinea and Sierra Leone and serving more than 120 million inhabitants across the subregion.
The discussions placed strong emphasis on expediting work on the Salayea section of the 256-kilometer Gbarnga–Mendikorma route. That phase has experienced setbacks due to financing gaps, difficult weather patterns, and technical adjustments. Minister Ngafuan stressed that advancing this portion of the project would significantly enhance agricultural trade for an estimated 280,000 residents in Lofa and Bong counties.
A key agenda item was the Government of Liberia’s appeal for additional financing from OFID and other Arab lending institutions to support the Salayea–Konia–Voinjama leg of the highway, projected by the Ministry of Public Works to cost between US$120 million and US$150 million. Minister Giddings explained that completing the corridor would reduce travel time between Gbarnga and Voinjama from nine hours to under four, boosting commerce, medical access, and cross-border mobility throughout the Mano River Union.
The meeting also reviewed plans for the Voinjama–Mendikorma segment, which is expected to be funded under the PAVITO Agreement, now before the National Legislature for ratification. Once approved, this final stretch will open a direct road link from Liberia to Guinea via the Mendikorma border and is expected to stimulate cross-border trade by roughly 30 percent over the next five years, according to preliminary Ministry of Commerce projections.
Minister Ngafuan reaffirmed the Boakai administration’s commitment to rebuilding Liberia’s infrastructure backbone and reiterated that the highway remains a national priority because of its economic and regional integration benefits.
“This project is not just a road; it is a lifeline for agriculture, trade, and mobility for thousands of citizens. Our partnership with OPEC Fund and other Arab lenders is vital in ensuring its completion,” he said. OFID Director Bouaou praised Liberia’s renewed engagement and expressed strong optimism about strengthening cooperation in the next phases of the project.
