The Minister of Public Works, Roland Layfette Giddings, on Thursday, April 4, 2024, led a delegation comprising of the UK Embassy’s Program & Political Liaison Officer and SARI Consulting Limited, to inspect the Ganta-Tapita Road corridor to ascertain the status of the Design, Build, & Transfer (DBT) contract signed between the Liberian Government and Road Constrictors currently deployed in the corridor.

The 100-kilometer project which connects Ganta to Tapita was divided into two lots with 39 kilometers running from Ganta to Secleapia which was awarded to CICO, and 61 kilometers from Secleapia to Tapita which was also awarded to China Railway Seventh Group (SRSG).

Along the tour, Minister Giddings had the opportunity to discuss with the Contractors to understand the challenges that may have stopped the project for more than ten months without a single work being done. The Contractors’ responses were generic, as they blamed the delay on the past Government for not remitting outstanding balances within the duration of the contract. So, the Government is responsible for the default, not the Contractors.

In his response, Minister Giddings took responsibility of the default remarking that government is continuity, and so the Boakai Government cannot shy away from the inherited liabilities. “President Boakai has stressed the importance of road construction which he intends to leave back as a legacy, and he has therefore committed his Government to work to ensure that most of the major highways are paved with asphalt before the end of his presidency”, Minister Gidding remarked.

The Public Works Minister, however, assured the Contractors that under his leadership, plans are being made to remit the Contractors’ outstanding balances to continue the road project. He also acknowledged that the contracts will be revisited for extension by one additional year, since there was a ten-month delay that could not have allowed the Contractors to complete their work in time.

Mr. James M. Kermue representing the UK Embassy, appraised the work as standard and impressive. He averred that the UK Government has set benchmarks to be  achieved at different stages of the contracts, and it is apparent that the contractors are meeting expectations.