Gbarnga-Mendikorma highway, also known as Lofa, the road is a project under construction in Liberia. The multi-million dollar road project will be executed at a cost of US$430m and is being conducted in 2 phases.
The first phase, which is currently under construction, is further divided into two sections, with section one covering the Gbarnga-Salayea (81 km) and section two, the Salayea-Konia (131 km) distance (50km). The president of Liberia, George Weah, described the corridor as a “vital national infrastructure” that he is committed to finishing.
The Gbarnga-Mendikorma highway is anticipated to significantly increase the country’s agricultural sector and draw important investors who will concentrate on doing large-scale commercial farming to produce commodities like rubber, cocoa, palm oil, timber, rice, fruits, etc.
The project will also support gender development and the development of social service facilities, such as schools and healthcare facilities, which will undoubtedly contribute to eradicating poverty in the nation.
Reported on September 4th, 2015
Kuwait to help in the construction of the Gbarnga-Mendikorma Road in Liberia
The government of Liberia is currently in discussion with the government of Kuwait for the construction of Gbarnga-Mendikorma Road in Liberia, Amara M. Konneh, the Finance and Development Planning Minister has announced.
Speaking during a media briefing when he hosted the delegation of investors from Kuwait, Konneh however said that investors from Kuwait will have to visit the project construction site before the various financial agreements are concluded by the end of the year.
The major financiers of the project include the Fund for International Development (OFID), the Saudi Fund for Development (SFD), the Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa (BADEA), the Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development (KFAED), and the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development (ADFD).
The multi-million dollar construction project of the Gbarnga-Mendikorma Road will be executed at a cost of US$430m.
The construction of the Gbarnga-Mendikorma Road project will be carried out in 2 phases. Phase I will involve construction work from Gbarnga to Konia at a cost of US$184.7m, given that US$72m has already been confirmed by the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning to have been delivered by the project’s main financiers to cater for phase I.
Gbarnga to Mendikorma is Liberia’s agriculture belt and once the project is completed transport between Gbarnga and Mendikorma will be enhanced.
The 137 km road is expected to mainly boost agribusiness in the country and attract key investors who will be focusing on doing large-scale commercial farming for the production of Rubber, Cocoa, Palm-oil, Timber, Rice, Fruits, etc. The project will also help in developing social service facilities which include health care centers and schools, and support gender development that will definitely help in eradicating poverty in the country.
While addressing the media, Faisal M. Al Kahtani who is part of the Kuwait investor delegation said he was excited to be part of the project.
Reported on March 2021
Gbarnga-Mendikorma highway: Liberia launches inquiry over delay of Gbarnga-Konia Road Construction
The House of Representatives in Liberia has mandated its Committee on Public Works to launch an inquiry into the abrupt standstill of the Gbarnga-Konia Road Construction project.
The decision was a result of a letter jointly written by several lawmakers of Lofa County including Francis Sakila Nyumalin, Julie Fatorma Wiah, and Cllr. Beyan D. Haword, calling for the House’s intervention over the delay in the road construction project.
“… It can be recalled that the implementation of the Gbarnga-Konia Road Construction Project commenced barely three years ago, but unexpectedly stalled for more than six months now without any explanation or cause given by authorities of the Public Works Ministry. We are therefore left with no choice but to seek the intervention of Plenary,” read the letter.
An overview of the project
The Gbarnga-Konia highway/road project is the first phase of the multi-million dollar Gbarnga-Mendikorma road project that was conceived during the reign of Ellen Johson Sirleaf’s administration back in 2017.
Covering a distance of 131 kilometers from Gbarnga-Konia, this phase is further subdivided into two sections, with section one covering the Gbarnga- Salayea (81 km) and Section two, Salayea-Konia (50km).
Its construction work began in 2018 under George Weah’s administration with a completion period of 36 months from the date of commencement.
Meanwhile, the second phase of the entire Gbarnga-Konia-Mendikoma Road Project covers the 143 km Konia-Voinjama-Mendikoma Road.
The project team
The contractor of the project is China Henan International Cooperation Group Limited (CHICO) and the monitoring consultant is the Saudi Consulting Services Company (SAUDCONSULT) of Saudi Arabia in conjunction with Tristar Collaborative Engineering and Construction Consultant Liberia.
The donors for the project, according to the government include the Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa (BADEA), the Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development (KFAED), and OPEC Fund for International Development (OFID).
Aug 2021
Construction of the Gbarnga-Salayea road in Liberia continues despite the Covid-19 pandemic
Construction of the Gbarnga-Salayea road in Liberia will not be halted. This is after the authorities in Bong and Lofa Counties together with the China Henan International Cooperation Group (CHICO), a Chinese state-owned construction and engineering company, and the Armed Forces of Liberia (AFL) agreed not to stop the project despite the spread of coronavirus in the country.
The decision was made during a meeting attended by Bong County Superintendent Esther Walker, AFL Commander in Bong County John Marshall, as well as local delegations from Lofa at CHICO’s premises in Zota District.
The Bong County Superintendent urged CHICO to take into consideration all the necessary preventive measures put in place by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Ministry of Health (MoH) of Liberia, and to maintain their current workforce and avoid recruiting new workers as a means of curtailing the spread of the virus at work.
An overview of the Gbarnga-Salayea road project
The construction of the Gbarnga-Salayea road consists of construction works to attain an all-weather asphalted road of an approximate length of about 81 km and a width of 7.5 m, (with 1.5 m. shoulders on each side) between Gbarnga, the capital city of Bong County in the northeast region of Monrovia and Salayea, one of the six districts located in Lofa County.
It also includes construction works of drainage facilities, reconstruction, or rehabilitation of bridges as well as the construction of protection, safety, and environmental protection facilities.
The project’s key stakeholders
The Liberia Ministry of Public Works is spearheading the over US$40M project, and it is funded by the Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa (BADEA), Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development (KEAED), OPEC Fund for International Development (OFID), and Saudi Fund for Development (SFD).
It is under the supervision and consultancy of Saudi Consulting Services Co., (SAUDCONSULT) in association with Liberia’s Tristar Collaborative Engineering & Construction Consultant. China Henan International Cooperation Group Co.Ltd is the contractor.
The main aim of the project is to enhance the economic and social development of the central region of Liberia as well as link the country with the neighboring Republics of Guinea and Sierra Leone.
Reported on December 6th, 2022
Qatar to provide funding for 2nd phase of the Gbarnga-Mendikorma Highway (Lofa road) project
The Emir of the Gulf state of Qatar, Tamin Bin Hamad, has committed to providing funding for the second phase of the Gbarnga-Mendikorma Highway (Lofa road) project.
On Sunday, November 27, the Liberian president met with his Qatari counterpart in Doha. During their conversation, the Emir pledged financial support for the project’s second phase. The corridor was referred to by the Liberian president as a “vital national infrastructure” that he is dedicated to completing.
The project’s first phase, which the government of Qatar is also assisting in funding through the Arab Bank for Economic Development (BADEA), is almost finished. President Weah hailed the strengthening of diplomatic ties between the two nations since its establishment more than a decade ago.
