KEY POINTS
- Liberia signed three World Bank financing deals worth $125 million covering energy, roads and internet.
- $57 million goes to RESPITE to expand Mount Coffee’s solar park from 20 to 30 megawatts.
- $50 million under WARDIP 2 will expand broadband access and strengthen cybersecurity across Liberia.
Liberia signed three financing agreements with the World Bank on June 5, locking in $125 million across electricity, roads and digital connectivity in a single session that Finance Minister Augustine Kpehe Ngafuan described as a milestone for the country’s development agenda.
The agreements cover three separate programs. The Western Africa Regional Digital Integration Program Phase 2, known as WARDIP 2, received $50 million. The Regional Emergency Solar Power Intervention Project, RESPITE, received an additional $57 million. The Southeastern Corridor Road Asset Management Project, SECRAMP, received $18 million. Together, the package addresses three of the most persistent infrastructure deficits holding back Liberia’s economy.
Ngafuan said the financing aligns directly with the government’s ARREST Agenda for Inclusive Development. He thanked World Bank Country Manager Georgia Wallen personally for her role in bringing the agreements to completion.
Energy gets the biggest slice
The $57 million RESPITE allocation will fund upgrades to the Mount Coffee Hydropower Plant and expand the national solar park from its current 20-megawatt capacity to 30 megawatts. Battery storage deployment is also included, aimed at improving the reliability of electricity supply rather than simply adding generation capacity that still fluctuates.
Liberia’s power sector has struggled with consistency for years. The expanded solar park and storage combination is designed to reduce seasonal generation gaps and provide a more stable base for industrial and household use.
Roads and broadband complete the package
The $18 million SECRAMP allocation targets the Ganta-Tappita corridor in southeastern Liberia, a stretch of road critical to trade and market access for communities in that part of the country. Government officials said the improvements are expected to reduce travel time and costs, two practical changes that directly affect the economic lives of residents in the region.
The $50 million WARDIP 2 funding goes toward expanding broadband access across Liberia, strengthening cybersecurity infrastructure, improving digital governance and supporting e-commerce and digital payment systems. Wallen said all three investments were designed to improve lives and create opportunities. “These investments are designed to improve lives, strengthen economic resilience, and create opportunities for Liberians,” she said.
