MONROVIA – The Unity Party-led government on Saturday moved a batch of the 285 pieces of heavy-duty trucks and earth-moving equipment from the Freeport of Monrovia to the BTC Barracks. The equipment were brought into the country under a murky agreement with South African billionaire Robert Gumede.
The controversy started in May during a cabinet retreat when Deputy Minister of State Without Portfolio, Mamaka Bility, revealed the plan to bring in the equipment. The intention is to distribute them across Liberia’s 15 counties to maintain and rehabilitate feeder roads. Minister Bility announced during a virtual presentation at the three-day retreat that each county would receive 19 pieces, regardless of size. She stated, “The reason for bringing [the equipment] into the country is to promote the president’s vision of low-cost modern equipment for road maintenance. The plan is to have 19 pieces of earth-moving equipment in each county. We did this calculation with the help of Public Works Minister Lafayette Giddings.”
The deployment of these machines proceeded without a clear explanation of how the Liberian government entered into an agreement with the South African billionaire for the importation of the 285 pieces of heavy-duty trucks and earth-moving equipment. It is also unclear whether the government adhered to the Public Procurement and Concessions Commission’s requirements for such a significant concession.
Minister Bility, along with Minister of State for Presidential Affairs Sylvester M. Grigsby and Public Works Minister Roland Lafayette Giddings, attended the virtual turnover of the machines a few weeks ago. The event featured Mr. Xu Ming, Senior Vice President of Sany Group, a Chinese multinational heavy equipment manufacturing company, and Robert Gumede, Chairman of the Guma Group based in South Africa. Xu Ming expressed his honor in sharing the handover moment with the Liberian Government, while Robert Gumede highlighted the partnership connecting Liberia with China and South Africa.
Minister Bility emphasized that the arrival of the machines marks a significant step toward improving the lives of Liberians. She stated, “If you know the history of Liberia, and the conditions of our roads, this is more than just turning machines over. This is changing the lives of our people completely. We are totally grateful.”
She further mentioned, “For the first time since 1980, the government of Liberia will own its road maintenance equipment, under the Special Presidential Project. In the coming weeks, the Executive Mansion will ask the Ministry of Public Works and the Ministry of National Defense to build these maintenance zones, adding that the engineering department of the National Defense will help with road maintenance along with the Ministry of Public Works.”
In a press conference addressing the controversy over the secrecy of the agreement, Information Minister Jerolinmek Matthew Piah said, “The presentation was intended to showcase how the government intends to rigorously tackle Liberia’s aging road problems by bringing in machines.”
On Saturday, before moving the equipment from the Freeport, Minister Bility expressed her excitement, stating, “I’m honestly happy for Liberia. This is a dream come true for any well-meaning Liberian because, as I said in the presentation, if you know the conditions of our roads and the situation in Liberia, you’ll be happy that we have this equipment here. Half of our country is in the bush. Most of our people do not have access to roads or markets. This is the core of the ARREST Agenda – roads – so we’re going to open the country and everyone is happy.”
The deployment also includes a maintenance contract for two years with the manufacturer, who will train over 100 Liberians to operate and maintain the equipment.
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