Several community-Based Organizations (CBOS) within Bong, Lofa and Nimba Counties including chiefs, community and religious leaders, media, traditional women as well as youths have benefited from intensive capacity building and sensitization workshops on the National Road Fund of Liberia (NRF) maintenance program.
The capacity building and awareness workshops are part of ongoing Community Engagement and Outreach funded by the NRF and the activities are meant to popularize the role of the NRF among the citizenry at all levels in urban and rural communities.
The Ministry of Internal Affairs is leading the exercise along with the Public Works and the Chief Executive Officer of the National Road Fund Office, Boniface D. Satu while a local firm, Design Tech & Communications is facilitating the exercise.
Speaking at the separate opening of the CBOS capacity building workshop in Gbartala Bong County, on March 19, 2020 and in Lofa County on March 21, 2020 in Gbarnga as well Nimba in Sacleapea on March 22, the Technical Focal Person in the Office of the Minister of Internal Affairs, D. Emmanuel Wheinyue rallied local government and communities to take ownership of roads and bridges constructed and rehabilitated in their localities.
Mr. Wheinyue said his call comes in the wake of reports that the residents are in constant habit of extracting laterite from secondary or farm-to-market roads and mining sand near bridges and culverts.
“These actions undermine development, no one is allowed to take rock from the road and dig sand near bridges. This causes erosion and leads to spoiling of the road infrastructure,” Mr. Wheinyue told separate gatherings.
According to Mr. Wheinyue to maintain roads across the country, the Liberian Government through the Legislature established the National Road Fund of Liberia.
He said the objective of the National Road Fund of Liberia is to manage the usage of the funding for the maintenance of roads across the country.
The Coordinator for Donor Project at the Ministry of Public Works, Albert Toukolon, who facilitation covered the importance and structure of the CBO Program including road maintenance and impact on the road network , urged the various community based organizations that are working to maintain the community roads, to work with the local leaders especially the chiefs and the commissioners with in their respective areas.
He also challenged them, to constantly conduct meetings with their local leaders and that of the community dwellers, regarding their activities.
According to Mr. Toukolon the involvement of the community inhabitants and their leaders will make them to take ownership of the project, something that will help the CBOS greatly in maintaining the roads.
The Director for Community Services at the Ministry of Public Works, Rose Dunah who facilitated on Hygiene Promotion: Community led total sanitation, emphasized the significant of keeping the community and that of the roads clean and free from open defecation.
She challenged the CBOs Leaders to take the lead in providing education to the community dwellers on the significant of building toilets at their respective homes.
Speaking early, Yellequelleh Administrative District Commissioner, Annie Reeves expressed gratitude to the Ministry of Internal Affairs and that of Public Works and partners for formulating such an event with the objective to train the community residents concerning the District road connectivity.
The Acting District Education Officer in Sacleapea, Hilton Bleeton vowed to take on the awareness in educating the public not to take away the gravels from the road and that of sand from around the bridges .
He told the assembly that with the level of information they have acquired from both the team from the Ministry of Internal Affairs and that of the Ministry of Public Works on the Road Fund and how they as citizens need to take ownership of their road it was time for them to take action in providing such information to their community dwellers.
The District Commissioner, Keneih Kuoh Miapuie called on the government to empower the local authorities with subsidy to enable them to get their residents to have their towns and communities clean by brushing the side of the roads.
The Commissioner further said regardless of the benefit that those of the CBOs are receiving from the Road Fund it was prudent that they informed her office about their programs as a means of coordination between her office and them.
Commissioner Kuoh Miapuie used the opportunity to expressed gratitude to the team from both Internal Affairs and Public Works including Design Teah and Communication for the level of work in building their capacity on the road fund.
The District Superintendent Arthur Sahn assured the public that his office will work along with the communities and towns to ensure that their roads are brush at all-times.
Sacleapea City Major Jeremiah Yangean also committed to ensure that the residents do not dump garbage on the streets and remove the gravel.
The engagements in the three counties were in continuation of the awareness and sensitization for the National Road Fund.