Liberia: VP Koung Reassures Arrival of 285 Road Machines, but Timeline Remains Unclear

Vice President Jeremiah Kpan Koung has reaffirmed that the 285 earth-moving machines promised for nationwide road rehabilitation will "arrive soon," but again stopped short of giving a specific date -- a detail many Liberians continue to wait for as road conditions worsen across the country.

Speaking during the National Assembly of Chiefs and Tribal Governors in Gbarnga, Koung said the equipment is central to President Joseph Nyuma Boakai's ARREST agenda and is intended to reopen farm-to-market routes and improve national connectivity.

According to him, each county will receive 19 pieces of machinery, while larger counties, Bong, Lofa, Grand Bassa and Nimba, will receive two full sets. Montserrado, despite its population size, will be allotted one set because most Public Works equipment is already stationed there.

Koung recalled President Boakai's earlier commitment that no Liberian should "get stuck in the mud" within the administration's first 90 days, a promise that has yet to materialize in several counties where roads remain impassable.

He said the president pushed for the procurement because previous governments managed to keep roads passable by regularly deploying heavy equipment, even before Liberia experienced major paved-road expansion.

Koung announced that the Ministry of Public Works has begun county-by-county assessments to identify sites where the machines will be stationed permanently. He urged superintendents to make land available in line with technical specifications.

He also disclosed that President Boakai has instructed Finance Minister Augustine K. Ngafuan to fund the construction of machine-parking facilities ahead of the equipment's arrival.

Koung emphasized that the machines will be crucial in rehabilitating long-neglected feeder roads, which he said have trapped farmers and hurt agricultural production.

"While the president will focus on the major roads, counties can also be working on their smaller roads," he said.

But with no confirmed delivery date and only repeated assurances, communities across the country remain anxious, hoping the long-awaited machines arrive before another rainy season cuts them off again.

Read the original article on Liberian Investigator.