Liberia on Monday achieved a historic milestone as it formally opened the African Road Maintenance Funds Association (ARMFA) General Assembly in Monrovia, bringing together road fund leaders, ministers, development partners, and more than 400 delegates from 35 African countries. It is the first time in Liberia's history that the nation is hosting the continent's largest gathering on road financing and maintenance governance.
The high-level event is being hosted by the National Road Fund of Liberia under the leadership of its Manager, Madam Josita Neufville-Wento, who also serves as National Coordinator of the Liberia Road Maintenance Fund Association and Vice President of ARMFA's West Africa Road Fund Focus Group.
Speaking at a pre-launch ceremony on Sunday, Madam Wento described the hosting of the assembly as a monumental achievement for Liberia and a defining opportunity for the country to strengthen its road maintenance sector.
"Your Excellencies, welcome to Liberia. I hope you have had a good time," she began, expressing gratitude to both local and international guests. "I would like to officially thank His Excellency President Joseph Nyuma Boakai for the opportunity to serve Liberia and represent us to the African Road Maintenance Fund Association."
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Wento emphasized the significance of the continental gathering, noting that the event brings all Road Fund CEOs of Africa under one roof--a development she described as "historic" for the country's infrastructure development trajectory.
"Today we are commemorating our historic event, where there is a convergence of all of the Road Fund CEOs of Africa to Liberia. This is an opportunity for us to share knowledge, cultivate innovative financial strategies, and understand the challenges and find solutions to the problems," she said.
More than 175 foreign delegates--from member states, investors, and major development partners--are participating in the assembly. International institutions such as the World Bank, European Union, and African Development Bank are also attending.
A major highlight of the assembly is Liberia's effort to transition from a first-generation Road Fund, which is fully controlled by the government, to an autonomous second- or third-generation model, which allows for broader oversight, improved transparency, and expanded financing.
Wento explained that Liberia remains the only ARMFA country still operating a first-generation Road Fund, a model in which the Liberia Revenue Authority collects all Road Fund revenues, and the Comptroller and Accountant General co-manages the funds under the Public Financial Management Law.
She contrasted this with autonomous Road Funds found across much of Africa.
"The second-generation Road Fund is a mix of government representatives, civil society, technical professionals, lawyers, CEOs, and engineers who oversee the operations and make decisions," she explained.
"This gives the Fund the opportunity to collect and manage revenue independently, with board oversight and full openness to external audits."
According to Wento, Liberia's long-term goal is to amend the Road Fund Act based on knowledge gathered during the assembly.
"It is our expectation that the data collected from these meetings will inform our amendment of the Road Fund law to gain autonomous status," she said.
"Some of the benefits of having an autonomous institution include the ability to expand financial capacity, do more roads and bridges, attract the private sector, and create jobs."
Delivering remarks at the opening, ESSAIE Moussa Aubin, President of ARMFA, praised Liberia for successfully hosting the assembly and commended Wento for her leadership and dedication.
"Allow me to commend our colleague, who is a very dynamic lady in our association," Aubin said.
"She made all her best for this conference to take place in Monrovia."
Aubin also thanked the government of Liberia for opening the country to ARMFA and its partners.
"I thank the President of the Republic for accepting and authorizing the hosting of this General Assembly in Liberia. Liberia is receiving 35 member states," he said.
He outlined ARMFA's mission, describing it as an association dedicated to strengthening governance, supporting public-private partnerships, and promoting autonomous Road Fund systems across Africa. He stressed the importance of improving road maintenance financing, especially in the face of climate-induced damage to infrastructure.
"The challenge today in Africa is how we use road maintenance funds to take care of the different roads, especially at a time when the negative impact of climate change is affecting our road infrastructure," Aubin said.
He announced that ARMFA recently opened a training hub in Nairobi and that part of the Liberia engagement will include identifying national challenges and proposing specialized training for Liberian road sector staff.
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"If the political will is there, you will see how road maintenance in Liberia will excel," Aubin assured.
"And the impact of that change will be seen in the quality of the roads."
Aubin also highlighted the rising leadership of women in the road maintenance sector, noting that Liberia, Côte d'Ivoire, Mali, Angola, Lesotho, and Senegal all have female heads of their Road Funds.
Hosting the ARMFA General Assembly is expected to boost Liberia's economy through increased foreign exchange inflow, hotel occupancy, transportation services, and local businesses providing logistics support.
Wento said the assembly also offers young Liberian engineers a rare opportunity to learn from leading African experts.
"It is an opportunity for the young engineers of Liberia to sit under senior professionals with diverse backgrounds in the road sector and learn," she said.
She concluded on a note of optimism and partnership.
"Every good relationship starts first with contact. Through this engagement, we expect technical exchanges, stronger partnerships, and a better understanding of how Road Funds operate across Africa. The benefits are many--thank you.".
