19 July 2011
President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf spent Friday and Saturday inspecting and dedicating development projects in Margibi County, in continuation of her County Tours.
During the visit, the President dedicated and inspected projects constructed by the Ministry of Public Works under the County Development Fund.
Three schools were dedicated – the 14 Road Public School, the Borlorla Township Public School, and the Yarnwuellie Public School.
Also dedicated were a conference center at the C. H. Rennie Hospital in Kakata, the Baypolu Youth Center, and a major bridge linking Borlorla to other parts of the country.
The two-day tour of Margibi also included the inspection of the Gibi-Worhn Road Project and the Bondiway Clinic.
In addition, the President visited Lower Margibi and dedicated the Schifflein Public School. As part of the tour, Saturday, the President addressed the Commencement Convocation of the Firestone-Liberia Senior High School in Harbel.
She told the management of the Firestone Plantations and the school authority that she was satisfied with the level of progress the company was making in the achievement of its social development programs. All graduating seniors of the school passed the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) Exams.
The Liberian leader assured residents of the area that government would continue to implement programs that respond to their needs. The President described the construction of the Borlorla Bridge and the rehabilitation of roads in the district as a great relief to the people.
She lauded the people of Borlorla and Gibi District for their support. “The progress we have made is because of you. If you did not put your hands around us, it would not have happened,” she told the women, youth, and elders of the villages along the way.
The President also thanked families who contributed land for the construction of a public school in Borlola, describing them as partners to the government. President Johnson Sirleaf also praised Public Works Minister Samuel Kofi Woods and his team for the “dedicated services they continue to render”.
Responding to requests for more development projects, including a hospital and town hall, the President assured the residents that, in consultation with county officials, the requests would be discussed for consideration.
Presenting a 5 Kv generator to the women of Borlola to support their literacy program, the President urged market women to continue their educational pursuit. “You are never too old to learn,” she reminded them.
She also called on the women to encourage their children to go to school because, she said, education was the key to progress. In separate statements, the residents, particularly women of the district, praised the President for creating programs geared toward improving their well-being. “It is because of you that we can now speak English and write our names,” a representative of the Liberia Market Association boasted.
The residents commended the Liberian leader for the many development initiatives in their district and pledged to support her second-term bid.
It was more than 30 years ago, they recalled, that a Liberian President, the late William R. Tolbert, visited their district. “We will always remember this visit,” a spokesman for the elderly told Her Excellency.
The President’s weekend visit to Margibi was in continuation of her County Tours, which had already taken her to all but three of Liberia’s 15 political sub-divisions, namely Nimba, Grand Gedeh, and Bomi counties.
The Liberian leader was accompanied on the visit by the Ministers of Internal Affairs, Public Works, Finance, Commerce and Industry, and Youth and Sports, as well as officials of the county led by Superintendent Levi Piah and members of the Legislative Caucus of Margibi.
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Sirleaf Inspect Projects in Gibi