[Liberia] Bad Roads Hamper Commercial Activities In Rural Liberia-Poverty on the Increase

from The LLiberian Times

by J. Cholo Brooks / Senior Staff Writer

Liberia's rural dwellers, specifically those in the southeast of the country are calling on the Ellen Johnson Sirleaf led Government to quickly come to their rescue by rehabilitating their major farm to market roads in their area in order to help ease the high cost of living in that part of the country.

Speaking to the Liberian Times over the weekend on the Ganta/Sanniquallie highway, some of the stranded marketers and other passengers riding in several vehicles said they were frustrated of the condition of most roads in rural Liberia, "you won't believe it since I left Monrovia this is my third week on this road. All my goods that I bought to take to Grand Gedeh County for sale are all spoiling due to bad road condition," a businessman, Jacob Swen told our Correspondent.

Jacob is among dozens of other marketers and ordinary travelers who spoke to our Correspondent, including several trucks drivers who also said they were caught up in the high piled of mud and were facing an embarrassment situation, "we are taken goods from Guinea to our Monrovia buyers, but since one week now it is very difficult to get out of this mess," a drivers of one of the several trucks caught up in the mud said.

Due to this bad road condition in rural Liberia, goods and services have reportedly been sized, making it difficult for rural dwellers to buy those essential items that they can not get in their town or village, "all my goods have been sold out, I just decided to reach Monrovia to get some goods, but since last week we got stuck here I don't know what to do. I even left my 3-month old baby with my husband, I am confused my brother I don't know what to do," a distressed market woman told the Liberian Times.

Also expressing his frustration, the Nimba County Superintendent, Robert Karmine said he was unhappy of the bad road condition in the county, "myself, despite I have 4-wheel drive, I feel horrible when I see people sleeping on the highway due to the condition of the road. I have made contacts with the appropriate agency to come over and help in this direction," Superintendent Karmine told our Correspondent in Ganta.

Bad roads condition are not only limited to rural Liberia, but also engulfed the entire country, even the main streets of the capital city of Monrovia are no different from that of the major roads in rural Liberia. The Ministry of public works, agency responsible to patch up roads, has already started the process in Monrovia and it's environ.