President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf will July 22, dedicate the Agricultural Technology Demonstration Center at the Central Agriculture Research Institute (CARI) in Bong County.

The stop will be the first of a series of visits to successful development projects on the way to this year's Independence Day celebrations in Nimba County.

At the ceremony the President is expected to emphasize the importance of agriculture and rural development and how the methods to be developed at the Center will contribute higher crop yields and more jobs.

The President will be departing the capital, Thursday to participate in this year's celebrations. On the way, she will also inspect the construction site of the Chief Suah Koko Center and a Women Multi-purpose Center, as part of programs marking the 163rd Independence Anniversary of Liberia.

A youth group, the Bong Concerned Youth Movement, will host a program in honor of the Liberian leader prior to her departure for Nimba County.

Upon arrival, the President will be welcomed at the Nimba-Bong border in Sokopa by residents of the area before proceeding to Ganta for the dedication of the Liberia International Christian College and a UNICEF Junior High School.

The official anniversary celebrations kicked off Tuesday, July 20, with the dedication of the University of Liberia's Fendall Campus in Louisiana, Montserrado County. Speaking at the occasion, President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf said the newly built campus matches the fresh ambition of Liberia.

The newly designed buildings create an environment more conducive to learning. "There are larger classrooms with more space, as the student body has grown far too large for UL's Capitol Hill Campus," she observed.

The President congratulated the China Guandong Xinguan International Group for completing the project. The Chinese Government, the President disclosed, has agreed to provide furniture to the Campus as an additional program of aid to the University of Liberia, a gesture for which the President said the Government is grateful.

The President also thanked the United States government for a US$12 million grant to renovate the Engineering Building at the TJY College of Science and Technology, which was opened earlier this year. She described the collaboration as a clear example of the spirit of partnership which the government has promoted in Liberia.

"We commend our two partners - the United States and China - for their collaborative effort which has brought these results,' the Liberian leader stressed.

Chinese Ambassador Zhou Yuxiao, also addressing the occasion, said the buildings signify the strength of cooperation and friendship that has subsisted between the two countries but "neither China, nor Liberia, bases its relations with the other on political ideology."

The new four-story building includes, among other facilities, an academic exchange center for 360 attendees, where conferences and forums can be held; 29 class rooms; 1 five-room library; and 4 computer rooms. Construction of the new Fendall Campus began in April 2008.