The Government of Liberia has secured a major boost for its national infrastructure drive, as the Kuwaiti Fund for Arab Economic Development has pledged to lead resource mobilization for the Salayea–Voinjama section of the Gbarnga–Mendikorma Highway Project.

The commitment was made during a high-level meeting in Kuwait City between the Kuwaiti Fund’s Acting Executive Director General, Waleed S. Al-Bahar, and a Liberian government delegation led by Finance and Development Planning Minister Augustine Kpehe Ngafuan.

The Kuwaiti Fund will coordinate efforts among a consortium of Arab lenders including the Saudi Fund for Development, the Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa (BADEA), the OPEC Fund for International Development (OFID), and the Abu Dhabi Fund.

The planned development covers a 114-kilometer stretch from Salayea to Voinjama and forms part of Liberia’s broader effort to improve regional road connectivity through the Gbarnga–Mendikorma Highway. During the discussions, priority was placed on mobilizing $76 million for the pavement of a 50-kilometer section from Konia to Voinjama, at an estimated cost of $65 million, and an additional $11 million for resurfacing 81 kilometers with an extra layer of asphalt.

Sunday’s breakthrough follows the signing of an agreement between the Government of Liberia and the Kuwaiti Fund to restructure an outstanding $6.7 million debt, lifting a previous suspension on disbursements related to the highway project. The suspension was initially imposed in early 2023 due to missed repayments on a $14 million loan extended in 2016 to the National Port Authority (NPA).

With the agreement now in place, the Kuwaiti Fund has agreed to release previously withheld disbursements to contractors working on the Gbarnga–Salayea segment, ensuring continued progress on the project.

The Liberian delegation to Kuwait included Public Works Minister Roland Layfette Giddings; Deputy Minister for International Cooperation and Economic Integration, Dr. Ibrahim Al-Bakri Nyei; Deputy Minister for Economic Management at the Ministry of Finance, Dehpue Zuo; and Managing Director of the National Port Authority, Sekou H. Dukuly.

The parties also agreed to hold a follow-up meeting between the Liberian Government and Arab lenders next week on the sidelines of the IMF/World Bank Spring Meetings in Washington, D.C., where further discussions on financing the highway project will continue.

Earlier this year, the Government of President Joseph Nyuma Boakai secured a funding commitment from the African Development Bank for the Voinjama–Mendikorma segment of the same highway, underscoring the administration’s focus on improving Liberia’s road infrastructure.

While in Kuwait, the Liberian officials are expected to hold additional meetings with port authorities and senior government officials to deepen bilateral ties. The visit also served as an opportunity for Liberia to seek Kuwait’s support for its bid for a non-permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council.

The Liberian delegation expressed profound appreciation to the Government and people of Kuwait for their enduring partnership, particularly in advancing Liberia’s infrastructure goals.

Notably, the Kuwaiti Fund previously led a similar Arab lender consortium in 2016 that successfully financed the Gbarnga–Salayea segment of the highway.

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