GOMPA, Nimba – President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf has ended a four-day tour in Nimba where she thanked the people of Nimba for their support to her government over the past years.

The president said she was touring a variety of counties during her last full dry season to “thank [Liberians] for all they have done individually and collectively to keep the peace in the country.”

The tour in Nimba is part of the president’s own initiative to provide an interactive forum for citizens, as she approaches the end of her two-term leadership as head of state. She has already carried out a similar tour in the western parts of the country.

“I started out in the western parts of the country – I visited Cape Mount, Bomi, and Gbapolu and so, the next one is Nimba,” she said.

In Nimba, the president commenced her tour by inspecting the abandoned Ganta-to-Yekepa road project, initiated in 2015. In the presence of the finance minister, Sirleaf ordered the immediate resumption of the project, with the Government of Liberia providing all the financing. ArcelorMittal, which has a mining facility in the county, had reneged on a previous agreement to fund the road construction due to decreasing prices of iron ore.

The president expressed her pleasure in touring places like Gompa, Saclepea, and Bahn.

“We covered as much as we could, and it was not just going to those named centers,” she said. “But also along the way, we stopped in nearly all the villages, talking to the people in some cases, sharing of meals and drinks with them, being able to interact with them and hold some town hall meetings. So, it’s just been great. I am just so much impressed with Nimba County.”

Sirleaf expressed her appreciation for Gompa for the level of development initiatives that are being put into effect by the citizens themselves.

“First of all, Ganta is fast becoming the second largest city in the country and the kind of developments that are coming up are not just from government, but also from the private sector,” she added. “You got people’s homes, people’s businesses. We are just so pleased about that.”

Sirleaf is expected to continue her nationwide tour in Margibi after departing Nimba.

Featured photo courtesy of the Executive Mansion