Liberia’s Information Minister, Jerolinmek M. Piah, says government projects should be seen as achievements of the Liberian people, not as personal achievements of individual politicians or political administrations. Minister Piah said he is concerned that some people, including educated individuals, are supporting the idea of politicians taking personal credit for projects built with public money, grants, and loans.
He explained that when a government starts or completes a project in the name of the country, the project belongs to all Liberians, no matter which president started it or which administration completed it. The Minister said government is a continuous process. This means that every new administration should continue and complete important projects started by the previous government instead of abandoning them.
Piah made the assertions on Thursday, October 29, 2026, during the Ministry of Information’s regular press briefing in Monrovia. To explain his point, Minister Piah spoke about the Roberts International Airport (RIA) Highway project. He said when President Joseph Boakai’s administration took office, only about 10 percent of the highway project had been completed, even though more than US$100 million had reportedly already been paid to contractors under the previous government.
He further stated that the Boakai administration has increased the project’s progress to about 60 percent. According to the Minister, the current government is expected to provide another US$35 million to complete the highway. He explained that the more than US$100 million used under the previous administration came from grants and loans secured through the ECOWAS Bank and an Afro-Asian bank. The additional US$35 million needed to finish the project will come from Liberian taxpayers’ money.
Minister Piah said projects paid for with public money or loans obtained in the name of Liberia should not be claimed as the personal achievements of any president, political party, or government. Instead, they should be recognized as achievements that belong to the entire country and its people. He also said this is how things are done in other countries, including the United States, where government projects are considered, public investments meant to benefit everyone.
The Minister concluded by saying that Liberia will develop better when citizens understand that national projects belong to the country, and that every administration has a responsibility to contribute to national development.
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