MONROVIA, LIBERIA-Road development in Liberia is under the spotlight as the National Road Fund hosts the three-day Contractors-Banks-NRF Partnership Forum in Monrovia. Stakeholders are discussing ways to accelerate infrastructure delivery and improve financing and procurement processes.

Giving an overview of the event, Josetta Neufville-Wantoe of the National Road Fund highlighted the critical role roads play in connecting communities and enabling participation in national development, noting that stakeholders from across the country, including Lofa County, depend on road access.

She said,” The National Road Fund remains central in mobilizing and managing financing for road rehabilitation, maintenance, and bridge development, and increasing demand for development has placed pressure on the institution to ensure timely and adequate funding”.

Assistant Minister for Expenditure at the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning, Dede Sandiman, called for stronger coordination among contractors, banks, and public institutions to address persistent delays in road infrastructure development across Liberia.

Speaking on Tuesday, March 24, 2026, at the Contractors-Banks-National Road Fund Partnership Forum at the Monrovia City Hall, Sandiman, representing Finance Minister Augustine Kpehe Ngafuan, said,” Liberia must move beyond prolonged discussions and focus on practical, results-driven solutions”.

The forum, held under the theme “Building Roads, Building Trust: Unlocking Procurement Efficiency and Sustainable Infrastructure Financing,” aligns with the ARREST Agenda of President Joseph Nyuma Boakai, which prioritizes road connectivity as a key driver of economic transformation.

Sandiman noted that despite significant allocations to the road sector, many projects remain incomplete due to systemic bottlenecks, including procurement delays, limited access to financing, and weak coordination among stakeholders.

He disclosed that contractors continue to face prolonged bid evaluation timelines, high-performance security requirements, and delayed payments. At the same time, banks impose strict collateral conditions due to perceived risks, creating a cycle that slows infrastructure delivery.

According to him, the challenge is not only about funding shortages, but a breakdown in coordination between those who build, finance, and manage road projects.

He further stressed that delayed road construction continues to limit access to markets, education, and healthcare, especially for rural communities.

Delivering the keynote address, Executive Director of the Public Procurement and Concessions Commission, Scott Johnson, emphasized that infrastructure in Liberia is fundamentally about access and opportunity.

He warned that inefficient procurement systems often lead to costly, delayed, or abandoned projects, noting:

“Bad procurement builds bad roads; good procurement builds national progress.”

Johnson described procurement efficiency as the foundation of sustainable infrastructure, built on value for money, timeliness, and transparency.

He highlighted reforms under the PPCC Act of 2026, including improved procurement planning, enhanced bid evaluation, stronger contract management, and increased digitalization to address inefficiencies such as overpricing and delays.

Linking procurement to financing outcomes, he stated

“If financing is the fuel, procurement is the engine. Without an efficient engine, fuel is wasted.”

Also speaking at the forum, President of the Engineering Society of Liberia, David Wounuah, called for a shift away from politically influenced road decisions toward economically driven infrastructure planning.

He stressed that road development must be guided by national economic priorities rather than political interests.

“We cannot decide to do a particular road because a politician wants it. We should choose roads that give us bigger and better economic value,” he said.

He added that road projects should not be treated as isolated initiatives but must align with broader national development goals.

According to him, Liberia must prioritize sustainable financing and long-term investment strategies that ensure maximum returns.

“We should put our money where we will get the biggest return for our investment,” he emphasized.

The forum also highlighted Public-Private Partnerships as a critical pathway to bridging Liberia’s infrastructure gap, with stakeholders emphasizing the need for transparency, competitive procurement, and strong contract management systems.

The three-day forum brings together contractors, banks, and policymakers to identify procurement and financing bottlenecks and develop actionable solutions.

It is expected to produce a stakeholder action plan and establish a technical working group to ensure implementation of reforms within set timelines.

Stakeholders were urged to commit to concrete reforms to improve procurement efficiency, expand access to financing, and accelerate road project completion across the country.