The Informer (Monrovia)
12 May 2011
Hundreds of people, including dozens of Liberian and American Governments officials joined President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and US Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield to witness the demolition of the Omega Navigational Transmitting Tower in Paynesville, on the outer reaches of Monrovia.
The tower, reportedly the tallest infrastructure on the African continent, built in about two years, was brought down in less than 30 seconds, and a modern market will now take its place.
There was not a single property damage as initially perceived by hundreds of people including government officials and those residing in the vicinity, who had been told to vacate the area about 100 meters away.
The crumbling of the nearly 40-year-old colossal tower – concurrently opening and closing a new chapter in US-Liberian friendship – pulled a dynamic ovation from the awe-stricken spectators including the Liberian leader and the US Ambassador, who had made brief statements before the professional firework.
President Sirleaf, in her remark, described the occasion as the “end of a long effort and the beginning of a new one”.
The President disclosed that the demolition of the tower will now pave the way for the construction of a modern market complex that will accommodate local marketers and help ease congestion at the Red Light Market.
The Liberian leader said that the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority (AKA) in the United States has committed half a million United States dollars to the construction of a modern market at Omega.
The donation was presented last year at Alpha Kappa Alpha’s biennial conference held in St. Louis, Missouri, in response to an appeal by President Sirleaf for better facilities for Liberian market women.
Of that amount, AKA has already made available US$250,000 to begin the construction. The UNDP is serving as custodian of the funds, the President said, adding that the Ministry of Public Works has already reached an understanding with the contractor, LRDC, for the market’s construction.
The President, who is also a member of the AKA Sorority, said discussions with the Transport Union are continuing, to ensure that produce brought to Monrovia for sale are dropped off at the Omega site rather than at Red Light, to ease the current congestion.
The President added that the building of the market will help ease the road congestion, to facilitate the construction of the Red Light to Ganta highway during the next dry season. “We hope, by that time, we have the place decongested so that Public Works will have less of a headache when they start the road work.”
She thanked Ambassador Thomas-Greenfield and her staff for their collaboration with government agencies on the project.
For her part, U.S. Ambassador Thomas-Greenfield said she was proud to be part of the ceremony she described as “historic”.
“This tower makes history for you; you made history for Liberia. It is the tallest structure in Africa, and today it will be the tallest structure ever to be brought down by explosives,” the Ambassador said.
She said the construction of a market complex on the site will go a long way in helping to clear out all of the marketers at the Redlight and help to move forward in Liberia. “Again, this is part of your vision that is being made into to reality,” Ambassador Thomas-Greenfield asserted.
The Omega Tower was built by the U.S. Navy in 1973 through a partnership with the Government of Liberia.
The U.S. provided technical support for the station, while the Liberian Government maintained ownership of the tower and manned the station under a bilateral agreement.
It was part of the worldwide Omega Navigation System, which provided global navigation to ships, aircraft and others needing navigation information and ceased to operate in 1997.
The system operated through an international partnership that included eight transmitting stations operated by the governments of Liberia, France, Argentina, Australia, Norway, Japan and the United States.
In October 2010, the Government of Liberia requested U.S. assistance with the demolition of the tower.
The tower had become a safety hazard and its removal will enable the construction of an official market and other facilities in line with Liberia’s development agenda.
It stood at 1,410 feet, making it the largest structure on the continent.
Its demolition, according to U.S. Embassy sources in Liberia, sets a new record for the tallest man-made structure in the world to be felled with explosives and will be entered into the Guinness Book of World Records.
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