Market women blocked the Duala-Kokoyah Road on Monday, demanding that the Bong County Administration open the new Lelekpayea market.
GBARNGA, Bong County – A market built by the Bong County Administration in Lelekpayea has stood unused for months while the women it was meant to serve trade under makeshift shelters in the rain, and on Monday they blocked the Duala-Kokoyah Road to demand that it be opened.
The women, who kept up the protest through heavy rain, said the delay in turning over the facility has left their goods exposed and cost them significant losses. Several of them trade on borrowed money, they said, and are falling behind on loan repayments as rain destroys their merchandise.
The protesters said repeated appeals to the county administration produced no result, and that no one has told them when they will be allowed to move in. They also said authorities have barred them from repairing their own market tables while the new building stays closed.
According to the marketers, the county administration is waiting for President Joseph Nyuma Boakai to dedicate the market before opening it.
The women called on the county administration and District 2 Rep. James Kolleh to intervene and said they would continue protesting if their demands are not met.
The Bong County Council approved the Lelekpayea market project at a special sitting in April 2025, and construction began afterward. The county administration later listed it among several infrastructure projects under way across the county.
Contacted by The Liberian Investigator, the Bong County Administration said it would meet with the market women on Tuesday to hear their concerns.
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