The Government of Liberia is planning to relocate its nation’s capital from Monrovia due to severe flooding. This is even as a group of Senators are championing the relocation the capital city away from overcrowded and poorly managed Monrovia.
However, report stated that proposal has been met with a mixture of enthusiasm and hesitancy by the citizens.
Recall that flash floods triggered by torrential rains between the end of June and early July left nearly 50,000 Liberians in urgent need. This development, according the Liberian National Disaster Management Agency said.
“The flood-prone capital was particularly badly hit, owing in part to overpopulation, a poor sewage system, and a lack of building regulation,” the agency stated.
A Senate Joint Committee had in early July, while discussing the persistent flooding challenges, suggested establishing a new city to replace Monrovia.
“It’s a good idea because our current capital city is a mess,” said Chris Kpewudu, a young motorbike driver in the capital, AFP stated.
“There is garbage all over the city and also when it rains, there is flooding everywhere. But with a new city, it will be well laid out and our capital city could look like, or more than, Abuja,” Kpewudu added.
Some African countries have had their nations capital changed at some point. Nigeria moved its seat of government from Lagos to Abuja.
Tanzania’s capital Dodoma and Yamoussoukro in Ivory Coast were also established as administrative capitals towards the end of the 20th century.
The three nations, Nigeria, Tanzania and Ivory Coast all have their capital cities occupying geographically central positions in their respective countries.
Monrovia is home to 1.5 million people and lies on the Atlantic coast of Liberia. And it is one of the poorest countries in the world, AFP stated.
“The city is the economic, political, and cultural hub of the country. With the Freeport of Monrovia providing a gateway for Liberian exports. These include iron ore, rubber, and timber to reach the United States and Europe.
However, “The city’s poorly functioning infrastructure can barely keep up with its ever-expanding population.
The Ministry of Public Works told AFP it was carefully reviewing the proposal. But added that the plan did not yet include an exact location for the move. The ministry, however, stated that any decision to move the capital would come down to economic viability.
“Having a new city is capital-intensive,” said T. T. Benjamin Myers, the ministry’s communications director.
“As a country, our national budget is still around $600 million. So, having a new city will require a lot of technical, financial, and economic factors to be seriously considered,” Myers added.
However, according to AFP, the proposal to replace the capital is not a new one in Africa’s oldest republic.
“In 2012, then-President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf suggested relocating Monrovia to a new city. The proposed Capital city was called Zekepa and is located in the centre of the country.
“We were all enthusiastic and looking forward to that,” Marayah Fyneah, the National Program Officer of the Liberian Women’s Legislative Caucus, told AFP.
“But unfortunately, we did not even see a plan to show what the city would look like,” she added.
Fyneah said she was skeptical that a new Liberian capital would ever materialize in her lifetime. This, she said, is as going by the failure of the previous attempt.
Some residents interviewed by AFP were also hesitant about the actualization of the proposal. They, instead, stated that the government should first prioritize improving infrastructure. They also urged the government to tackle poverty before searching for a new capital.
“Our lawmakers are forgetting the issues that we have on hand as a country. Even the city of Monrovia is poorly managed in terms of sanitation and a lot more.” Journalist Princess Elexa VanjahKollie was quoted to have said.
“Experts have also warned of the extensive urban planning needed to create a viable new capital, AFP stated.
“To establish a new city is not a quick fix,” Christopher Wallace, an economics lecturer at the University of Liberia, told AFP.
“You want to consider the economic activities that would make the economy vibrant in that area. And you must have done zoning to have a clear layout of what such a city will look like,” the lecturer added.
source: AFP
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