The Government of Liberia, through a delegation led by Finance and Development Planning Minister Augustine Kpehe Ngafuan, has secured a commitment from the Kuwaiti Fund for Arab Economic Development to lead the mobilization of resources for the 114-kilometer Salayea–Voinjama segment of the Gbarnga–Mendikorma Road Project.
The Kuwaiti Fund will coordinate a consortium of Arab financial institutions, including the Saudi Fund for Development, the Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa (BADEA), the OPEC Fund for International Development (OFID), and the Abu Dhabi Fund.
This commitment was reached following fruitful discussions in Kuwait City with Waleed S. Al-Bahar, Acting Director General of the Kuwaiti Fund, and his team.
The high-level Liberian delegation also included Public Works Minister Roland Giddings; Deputy Minister for International Cooperation and Economic Integration at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ibrahim Al-Bakri Nyei; Deputy Minister for Economic Management at the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning, DehpueZuo; and the Managing Director of the National Port Authority, Sekou H. Dukuly.
Sunday’s announcement coincided with the signing of a debt restructuring agreement between the Liberian Government and the Kuwaiti Fund for a $6.7 million outstanding obligation. The deal lifts a previous suspension on disbursements, which had been in place since early 2023 due to Liberia’s delinquency in repaying a $14 million loan granted in 2016 to the National Port Authority.
As a result, the Kuwaiti Fund has agreed to resume disbursements to contractors working on the Gbarnga–Salayea section, ensuring accelerated progress on the project.
During the Kuwait City meeting, both sides prioritized raising $76 million in funding—$65 million to pave a 50-kilometer stretch from Konia to Voinjama and an additional $11 million to apply an extra asphalt layer to an 81-kilometer section.
A follow-up meeting between the Liberian Government and Arab lenders, led by the Kuwaiti Fund, is scheduled to take place next week during the IMF/World Bank Spring Meetings in Washington, D.C.
Earlier this year, the Government of President Joseph Boakai also secured funding from the African Development Bank for the Voinjama–Mendikorma stretch of the highway.
While in Kuwait, the Liberian delegation is also expected to engage with port authorities and other government officials to deepen bilateral relations.
It is worth noting that the Kuwaiti Fund led the same group of Arab lenders in mobilizing funding for the Gbarnga–Salayea road back in 2016.
The Liberian delegation expressed deep appreciation to the Government and people of Kuwait for their continued support of Liberia’s infrastructure development, particularly in road connectivity.
In addition, the Liberian Government took the opportunity to seek Kuwait’s backing for Liberia’s bid for a non-permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council.
