BUCHANAN, Grand Bassa – While addressing a news conference on Monday, Grand Bassa Superintendent Levi Demmah outlined several upcoming developments in the county.

Speaking from his administrative office in Buchanan, he highlighted feeder road rehabilitation, restoration of electricity in Buchanan through the West Africa Power Pool and improvement at the Grand Bassa County Community College as key developments that were expected to hit the county.

The superintendent mentioned the 42 km feeder road being rehabilitated by USAID in the county as a major boost to road connectivity while adding that the Feeder Road and Maintenance Project would cover 139 km as a means of bringing relief to the people of Grand Bassa.

The roads include Compound One to Edina (35 km) and Waka Town to Johnny Tutu Town (7 km).

Demmah also named Forte, Gardiner, Garrison and Prosser Streets, the Open Bible and Gaye Gborkon Town Roads, as roads currently undergoing rehabilitation with support from the county and social development funds.

The roads were included in the resolution made during the 2015/2016 county development council meeting held in Big Joe Town, Grand Bassa.

Forte, Gardiner, Prosser Street and Open Bible Roads in Buchanan are being constructed by the Benzin Construction Company. Clearing and opening of alleys have begun and the main work is expected to take place during the dry season. The cost of the four roads is US$20,000.

The Gaye Gborkon road in the second district will also begin during the dry season and should also cost US$20,000.

Speaking of energy, Demmah said the West Africa Power Pool and the TRANSCO CLSG (projects aimed at having Cote d’Ivoire, Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Guinea interconnected and sharing power) is well advanced in Liberia and about to get underway in Grand Bassa.

“TRANSCO, the company in the lead, has held several consultations and negotiation,” he said. “Today we are talking about Resettlement Action Plans to be implemented as well as the setting up of the county’s Grievance Committee Mechanism to sort out all would be issues emanating from the project during the resettling of people.”

He assured residents of the county that the project is expected to start as the equipment are being brought into the country although he did not mention specific dates.

Buchanan, the country’s third most populous city, has been in darkness over the years due to lack of electricity. Before the civil war, the city was well lit and had a surplus distribution of electricity, allowing it to attract investments.

In early 2012, the county purchased electrical wires for the city’s power to be supplied from a generator but the wires were stolen by unknown culprits and since then, there has been no relief for the city.

The superintendent also thanked the newly inducted president of the Grand Bassa Community College, Nathaniel Gbassagee, and his team for the transformation of the college.

He added that the leadership of the college held talks with the African Union Mission in Liberia, which is supporting the Information Technology program. Additionally, he said the Checago Bright Foundation was partnering with the college to facilitate its hygiene and sanitation solutions’ program.

Before Gbassagee took over, the college had been engulfed in a leadership crisis and faculty and staff often complained of delays in salary payments.

Featured photo by Sampson David