GANTA, Nimba – President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf has ordered Rep. Jeremiah Koung of Nimba’s first electoral district to present to her office with a “fair estimate” of the costs that will cover the completion of the abandoned Ganta Market Project.

In an interview with both Voice of Gompa and Radio Kergheamahn early Wednesday morning, Koung said he is making his way to Ganta over the weekend to fast track the president’s request over the project that has being halted since 2014.

“The President has asked me to provide a fair estimate for the market project to her office,” he said. “The first estimate to complete the project that was presented to her by the contractors who were doing the project was very high; and so, I will be coming over to Ganta this weekend to meet with the head of City Council to find an engineer who will do a fair estimate.”

The Ganta Market Project, which has been under construction with supervision from the Sirleaf Market Women Fund, came to a standstill in June 2014 due to fact that those heading the projects were on vacation in the United States.

Earlier this year, Mayor Benjamin S. Dokpa of Ganta, following public outcry over the abandoned project, told reporters that the head of the project, Sekou Konneh, had informed him that the project came to a halt because the individuals implementing the project “have all left the country and are in America on vacations.”

Koung, in his latest revelation about the president’s desire to complete the market project before her tenure expires, believes that the president understands the impact this project could have on her legacy.

Many citizens are hopeful that the market, located in Deakehmein Community, will ease the tensions over the land on which the present market in central Ganta stands.

The project is funded by UN Women and engineered by JPA Construction Company. It is expected to include a school, clinic, playground for children, and a banking facility.

Featured photo by Arrington Ballah