One of the most deprived regions of Liberia is the Southeast whence hail House Speaker Jonathan Fonati Koffa and former President George Manneh Weah. Upon taking power in 2018, the former President made the construction of a coastal highway linking Buchanan and Harper, his administration’s priority project perhaps in the hope that the highway would open up the region and improve its socioeconomic conditions. The project failed to materialize for a combination of factors, and after losing power 2023, Weah and all the political elites from the region in Government at the time (2018 to 2023) have been enduring ire and cynical interrogation from their regional citizens for failing them. But while addressing diasporic Kru citizens in the United States, mainly those from Weah’s and Koffa’s Grand Kru County, the House speaker said “better late than never”, assuring his kinsmen and kinswomen the project will still be realized. THE ANALYST reports.
Addressing a Convention of the Grand Kru Development Association in Philadelphia, USA, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Cllr. Fonati Koffa, told the gathering that the southeastern Legislative Caucus is determined to spend 50 million dollars a year for the next six years to pave that Coastal Highway linking the Southeastern region.
Acknowledging however that the plan is obviously an uphill battle, as the budget is a political tool, he comforted his people that with his leadership proximity, he was positive that “we can accomplish this”.
The coastal highway, he maintained, is not only good for the south east, but for the whole of Liberia as he imagined the southeast sitting next to the fastest growing economy in West Africa, the Ivory Coast.
The House Speaker also told his audience that Grand Kru and the Southeast Region are not defined by their challenges but are rather defined by the power of their assets, rallying the gathering to be focus in unity to forge partnerships in unity for development.
The Speaker of the 55th National Legislature left Liberia on the invitation of a number of Liberian organizations in the United States, including the Grand Kru Development Association in Philadelphia and the Association of Liberian Journalists in America.
He told the Grand Kru Development Association in Philadelphia that with its strong cocoa industry, Ivory Coast has surpassed Liberia in rubber production, and noted that a truck leaving Monrovia to Cote Ivoire takes about 2 weeks to make the journey, which would ordinarily take three days if the roads were paved.
Koffa said the road challenges, particularly during the dry season, results in astronomical cost of goods and services, and has made rural travel and residency more dangerous and unbearable for our people.
“While the price of gas in Monrovia is about $3USD in Monrovia it is $6 in Barclayville,” he told his US-based citizens.
Talking about the importance of partnerships, he said development is not a solo journey but one in requires fostering partnerships with government, international organizations, and the private sector.
“But just as importantly,” he noted, “we must partner with each other. The Grand Kru Development Association, along with other organizations and stakeholders in the southeast, must lead the way by uniting the resources in there, sharing knowledge, and creating opportunities for collaboration.”
Speaking on what he called ‘Asset-Based Development’, the Speaker pointed out that a mindset for the future, an asset-based approach requires a shift in mindset.
“It asks us to see not just problems, but possibilities; to see our land not just as territory, but as a foundation for growth,” he said.
Asset-Based Development, he further maintained, “is to see our people not as recipients of aid, but as agents of change. This mindset empowers us to believe in the capacity of Grand Kru to chart its own course, based on its strengths.”
In this this regard, he asserted “we can reduce our dependence on government and focus on our collective strength. No government will do for you what you are not willing to do for yourself.”
Speaker Koffa, a son of the South eastern region from Grand Kru County, told the Convention that too often, development conversations are framed around what is lacking, adding that he notwithstanding the Grand Kru and the southeast should remember that every community has resources—be they natural, human, or cultural—and it is in identifying, mobilizing, and maximizing these assets can unlock the full potential of Grand Kru and the entire region.”
“Let me highlight three key assets that we must focus on if we are to truly lift Grand Kru and the southeast as a whole,” naming natural resources, the land as the legacy Grand Kru, and the southeast, which are blessed with vast natural resources and human capital.”
“We must embrace the idea of investing in our people, our greatest asset–the talents, skills, and determination of the people of Grand Kru and the southeast are the building blocks of any development agenda.”
He explained it is crucial that people of the county and the region invest in education and vocational training, not just for their youth, but for all members of our community.
“We must build schools, train our teachers, and ensure that the education our children receive prepares them for the future. That is why we built six schools over the last 6 years in our district.”
Regrettably, he pointed out “we need teachers to in those schools. It is sad to put up a new school building and come back a year later and see it populated by goats and cows, only to be told that there are no teachers.
“Beyond formal education, we should also promote entrepreneurial initiatives and develop programs that support small and medium enterprises in agriculture, trade, and technology,”
He said further. “By investing in our human capital will ensure that our people are equipped to drive the development process themselves.”
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