MONROVIA, May 31 (LINA) – President George Manneh Weah has dedicated Phase One of the Somalia Drive Road and at the same time broken ground for the commencement of Phase Two of the project.
Speaking at the ceremony held near Free Port of Monrovia on the Somalia Drive on Wednesday, President Weah expressed optimism that the opening of phase one of the road will ease traffic congestion and bring efficiency to trade and commerce while improving the quality of life of those using the road daily.
The Liberian leader indicated that the construction of the 13.5 kilometer road project would not have been made possible without the generous assistance and cooperation of the government and people of Japan to whom Liberia owes tremendous gratitude.
President Weah particularly thanked the Japanese Ambassador to Liberia, Tsutomu Himeno, his predecessor and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) for this kind gesture to the government and people of Liberia.
He noted that Liberia will remain engaged with Japan to further strengthen the longstanding bilateral relationship between the two sisterly states.
Meanwhile, the Liberian Chief Executive has lauded former President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf for initiating the project and vowed to continue on the positive legacy initiated by her administration.
He thanked Liberian contractors and workers who sacrificed their time and effort in ensuring the successful completion of the project and admonished them to transfer the skills, knowledge, and experience gained to future infrastructure projects the government intends to undertake.
Speaking earlier, Ambassador Himeno said the project is a manifestation of the long-standing relationship and goodwill that has subsisted between Liberia and Japan.
He said the Somalia Drive project is the largest of Japanese Government Projects throughout the entire Africa, adding, « The project goes beyond just construction; the project was also characterized by knowledge sharing and capacity building, among others. »
The Somalia Drive Road Project, which was undertaken with a grant from the government of Japan, started in 2014 and is divided into two phases.
Phase one, which is completed and was dedicated by President Weah on Wednesday, is valued at US$50 million.
The second phase of the project, which was also launched by President Weah, is valued at US$45 million.
