Government projects expansion of road network beyond ARID targets, with more than 850 kilometres of primary and community roads targeted by 2029.
Monrovia, Liberia – Liberia has paved an additional 164 kilometres of roads since 2024, as the government pushes to expand the country’s road infrastructure beyond targets established under its Reset Agenda for Inclusive Development (AAID), Public Works Minister Roland Layfette Giddings has announced.
Addressing journalists at the Ministry of Information, Giddings said the completed projects include 150 kilometres of primary roads and 14 kilometres of urban and community roads.
He said the government intends to increase the pace of construction over the next three years, with a target of paving 700 kilometres of primary roads and more than 150 kilometres of urban and community roads by 2029.
The proposed targets exceed the ARID commitments of 485 kilometres for primary roads and 125 kilometres for urban and community roads.
For 2027, the Ministry of Public Works plans to construct 100 kilometres of primary roads and 91 kilometres of urban and community roads.
Giddings described road infrastructure as critical to economic development, arguing that improved transportation networks would help farmers move agricultural products to markets, give communities better access to schools and health facilities, and create opportunities for commercial activities and investment.
Providing updates on ongoing projects, the minister highlighted progress on two major road corridors in Nimba County.
On the 47.1-kilometre Sanniquellie–Logatuo highway, he said 43 kilometres have already been paved, leaving approximately 4.1 kilometres to be completed. The remaining work is expected to finish in April 2027.
Similarly, construction on the 39-kilometre Ganta–Sanniquellie road has reached 36.5 kilometres of paving, with the outstanding 2.5 kilometres expected to be completed within the same period.
The minister also reported that paving has been completed on the 61-kilometre Sanniquellie–Tappita corridor. Final completion of the project is expected during the ongoing dry season.
Other road projects are progressing in Monrovia and surrounding communities, as well as in Voinjama, Gbarnga and other parts of the country.
According to Giddings, the ministry is currently managing 22 primary-road corridors with a combined length of 1,191 kilometres.
Of these, construction is ongoing on 15 corridors covering approximately 663.5 kilometres. Five additional corridors, representing about 229.5 kilometres, are undergoing procurement or design processes.
The remaining two major road corridors, covering approximately 298.6 kilometres, are awaiting approval from the African Development Bank and the World Bank.
Beyond the major highways, the government is preparing to extend road paving to several cities, including Bopolu, Tubmanburg and Robertsport.
The minister also outlined longer-term infrastructure proposals, including a 60.6-kilometre coastal road corridor and a 238-kilometre Liberian Legacy Economic Corridor expected to connect Grand Bassa, Bong and Nimba counties.
Giddings disclosed that the World Bank has accepted the legacy corridor proposal for further development, with a US$2 million grant being used to finance the project’s design.
The proposed route is intended to improve transportation links among the three counties while providing an alternative to the existing road network, which often requires motorists to travel through Monrovia.
However, construction on the coastal and legacy corridors is not expected to begin until around 2029, the minister said.
He clarified that neither of the two proposed projects is included in the ministry’s projected 700 kilometres of primary roads targeted for completion by 2029.
The government’s ability to meet its ambitious road construction plans will depend on continued project financing, procurement and implementation across the country.
