By Grace Q. Bryant
The Acting Executive Director of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Emmanuel Urey Yarkpawolo, has pledged to provide the agency with a new home during his tenure.
He stated that the current location and structure hosting of the agency does not adequately reflect its mission, and therefore, his administration has initiated plans to construct a safe and eco-friendly facility that aligns with the agency’s objectives.
During the recently concluded “National Dialogue” organized by the Government of Liberia with support from the Global Environment Facility (GEF), Yarkpawolo pointed out that the current building that houses the EPA is an expensive private property that the Government of Liberia is renting.
According to him, the money used to rent the building could be better utilized to construct a decent home for the entity, mentioning that he inspected the building that currently serves as the EPA’s headquarters and found it to be in a dilapidated state, making it an unsuitable location for a functional EPA.
He has requested support for the proposal to build a new headquarters for the agency in Liberia that would address various concerns, including the protection of international waters and the creation of protected areas through regulations.
He emphasized the need for a physical space where the agency can operate and carry out its duties effectively, and called on partners to support the construction of the new EPA headquarters in Liberia.
Addressing the gathering, he emphasized that the EPA must lead by example in environmental protection, suggesting that the new structure to be constructed should be able to produce clean energy buildings to power the building.
He pointed out that the agency is presently using diesel generators for power supply in the building, which he believes is unhealthy for an institution that should focus on reducing the country’s greenhouse gas emissions, rather than adding to them
He expressed gratitude to the past administration for securing land and creating a blueprint, and also promised to ensure that the new structure is achievable with the support of the partners.
The EPA Boss assured that the new administration, under President Joseph Boakai, will combat corruption at all levels, and vowed to use every dollar collected for its intended purpose.
The Global Environment Facility is a fund that operates on a multilateral level and provides grants, as well as blended finance, for projects related to a range of environmental issues such as biodiversity, climate change, international waters, land degradation, persistent organic pollutants (POPs), mercury, sustainable forest management, food security, and sustainable cities in developing countries.
The GEF Partnership typically provides financing and support to countries as part of their national dialogues.
GEF partners such as the World Bank, African Development Bank, UNDP, FAO, and Conservation International, convened to discuss the US$8.63 million allocation at this year’s national dialogue.
