In summary:
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Former Public Works Minister Ruth Cooker-Collins claimed that the CDC administration started pavement works on the Saclepea–Tappita Road, signed the Tappita–Toe Town Road contract, and secured financing for the Toe Town–Zwedru corridor before leaving office.
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We have verified these claims by reviewing official project documents and records from SECRAMP and RETRAP.
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Our findings show that the Weah administration secured financing, awarded contracts, and commenced construction on the Saclepea–Tappita Road, while the Tappita–Toe Town contract was signed on August 18, 2023, during President Weah’s tenure.
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We also found that financing for the Toe Town–Zwedru section was secured before the transition of government; therefore, Cooker-Collins’ claim is correct.
On June 25, former Public Works Minister Ruth Cooker-Collins claimed that the former CDC administration commenced pavement works on the Saclepea–Tappita Road, signed the contract for the Tappita–Toe Town Road, and completed the financing arrangements for the pavement of the Toe Town–Zwedru Road corridor before leaving office.
Cooker-Collins made the claim during the 22nd Anniversary and Militant Day Celebration of the Congress for Democratic Change (CDC) in Zwedru, Grand Gedeh County.
The CDC administration lasted from January 2018 to December 2023, with George Weah serving as the President.
The Claim
Her exact statement reads: “From Saclepea –Tappita project was ongoing before we left, and then from Tappita – Toe Town, we signed that contract and it was waiting to get started before we left office. But I am surprised that I came and see no active work ongoing because we signed that contract before we left. In addition to that, the last section which is 85km from Toe Town to Zwedrew and also to the border, we also did the financial arrangement before we left, So, I want y’all to understand that we did what we could do to make the road pliable for the people of Grand Gedeh County.”
Rating Justification
To verify these claims, we reviewed official project documents and government publications, including records relating to the Southeastern Corridor Road Asset Management Project (SECRAMP) and the Rural Economic Transformation Project (RETRAP).
Our review of the SECRAMP found in a press release that on December 18, 2018, the World Bank Board of Executive Directors approved an International Development Association (IDA) credit financing of $29 million for the Liberia Southeastern Corridor Road Asset Management Project (SECRAMP) to pave from Ganta to Zwedrew.
According to the World Bank Release, the IDA also provided a $48 million Payment Guarantee which leveraged additional $60 million from the privatne sector with a co-financing of $24 million Liberia Reconstruction Trust Fund (LRTF) grant contribution from the European Union (EU), United Kingdom (DfID) and Germany (KfW) etc.
Additionally, we reviewed the Rural Economic Transformation Project (RETRAP), which was approved by the World Bank on June 4, 2021.
The project includes the pavement of 85 kilometers of road from Toe Town to Zwedru and onward to the Côte d’Ivoire border, the improvement of 248 kilometers of road from Monrovia to Ganta and the Guinea border, the upgrading of 100 kilometers of the Southeastern Corridor from Ganta through Saclepea to Tappita, and the rehabilitation of 40 kilometers of road from Tappita to Toe Town.
We also reviewed the project document and found that the road works contract for the Tappita to Toe Town corridor was signed on August 18, 2023, with a Chinese firm CHONGQING INTERNATIONAL CONSTRUCTION CORPORATION.
Additionally, in January 2022, the Weah administration awarded the work contract of the pavement of the Saclepea to Tappita road to a Chinese Railway Service Group for the construction of the 61km road in the tune of US$53.76m.
Conclusion
Based on these findings, we conclude that former Public Works Minister Ruth Cooker-Collins’ claim regarding the initiation, contracting, and financing of the southeastern road corridor projects under the CDC administration is correct.
The George Weah administration secured the financing agreements, awarded the contracts, and commenced physical construction of the Saclepea–Tappita Road before leaving office in January 2024.
