Monrovia, Liberia – Liberia’s Foreign Minister, Sara Beysolow Nyanti has hailed the Government and People of Japan for the Exchange of Notes and the 43-million-yen Grant Agreement for the extension of the Japan Freeway the road corridor between the Freeport of Monrovia and the Gabriel Tucker Bridge.
Foreign Minister Beysolow Nyanti expressed how intrigued she was when she listened to Ambassador George W. Wallace say that the table was not superficial; rather, it was a table that reflected diplomacy at its heart, where they were speaking to decades of relationships and decades of impacts that Japan has had on Liberia.
As noted by Foreign Minister Beysolow Nyanti, the signing of an infrastructure development agreement today is evidence of Japan’s overall interest in Liberia, as is the presence of season diplomats or leaders who have profited from Japan’s investment in the country. The current friendship between Liberia and Japan will be further strengthened, she promised the ambassador and his delegation.
The team was advised by the Dean of the Cabinet that President Joseph Nyuma Boakai has indicated that roads, sanitation, education, agriculture, and tourism are among the priorities. The main point of all of this is that agriculture will be useless if women cannot access highways.
The Liberian chief diplomat noted that the Government of Japan has demonstrated that she is not here for the short term but rather for the long term, and the signing is a manifestation of that, and Liberia looks forward to deepening that relationship.
On Monday, March 5, 2024, at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Minister Beysolow Nyanti stated during the Exchange of Notes and Grant Agreement signing ceremony for the extension of the Japan Freeway, the road corridor between the Freeport of Monrovia and the Gabriel Tucker Bridge. These social and economic infrastructures are intended to create jobs, generate income, and provide sustainable livelihoods beyond aid.
According to Mr. Mochizuki Hisanobu, the Japanese ambassador to Liberia, the Japanese government recognizes the significance of this project for the country, which is why the Japanese Parliament is making every effort to finish the last procedures and allow the project to start.
Ambassador Hisanobu stated that Japan recognizes the significance of building a strong infrastructure foundation and the potential role it may play in promoting and stimulating the economy. He said that today’s signing ceremony for the detailed design is necessary in order for JICA and the project’s consultant to have all of the information they need to help the Parliament finish its internal procedures.
The development of infrastructure in Africa has been a central focus of the Tokyo International Conference on Africa Development (TICAD), as Ambassador Hisanobu emphasized. Japan has always vowed to support the infrastructure development of Africa.
At the bilateral level, one of the main tenets of Japan-Liberia cooperation, according to Ambassador Hisanobu, is the development of infrastructure. “In 2013 and 2016, respectively, we started building on Phases 1 and 2 of the former Somali Drive, which is now known as the Japan Freeway.
The effective completion of these two stages may be attributed to the collaboration between JICA and the Ministry of Public Works in Liberia. As stated by Ambassador Hisanobu, “Today we are formalizing another procedure that will build upon the high-quality Phases 1 and 2 of the Japan Freeway.”
As Liberia continues to meet its development targets, the Japanese Ambassador stated that more development projects and technical support will be required to realize this vision. He noted that the bilateral cooperation between Japan and Liberia has witnessed the actualization of various key technical support and infrastructure developments over the years.
As the link between Liberia’s downtown and the Freeport, the 1.9-kilometer stretch of the project’s rehabilitation from the west end of the Japan Freeway to the north intersection of the Gabriel Tucker Bridge is vital to the country’s logistics, according to Ms. SUZUKI, Momoko, Chief Representative of JICA.
Madam SUZUKI said that now that the project has moved to the phase of the detailed design, she would like to request that the Liberian colleagues involved in this project ensure the timely execution of the project’s major undertakings or commitments, which are stipulated in the grant agreement for the successful implementation of the project.
Mr. Roland L. Gidddings, Minister of Public Works; Amb. Sylvester Grigsby, Minister of State for Presidential Affairs; and Amb. George W. Wallace, Advisor to the President on Foreign Affairs, were among those present at the signing ceremony.