Africa-Press – Liberia. During a plenary session Tuesday, Rivercess County Senator Wellington Geevon Smith (pictured above standing) said Liberia continues to suffer poor road infrastructure due to systemic misuse of the fund.
Members of the Liberian Senate have raised alarms over the alleged mismanagement and diversion of the National Road Fund (NRF), originally designed to support road and bridge maintenance across Liberia.
The fund, established through legislation passed in December 2016, collects US$0.25 on each gallon of petroleum products imported into the country.
The revenue is intended exclusively for routine and periodic maintenance of roads and bridges. However, senators say the NRF has become a political tool misused by successive governments and some petroleum importers.
During a plenary session Tuesday, Rivercess County Senator Wellington Geevon Smith said Liberia continues to suffer poor road infrastructure due to systemic misuse of the fund. He cited relationships between government officials and importers as a major barrier to accountability.
“If we are serious about developing this country, we need to start by properly managing the road fund,” Smith said. “Some importers collect this money and do not remit it. Audit reports are not acted upon, and when cases go to court, they are buried due to politics.”
He accused the government of treating the NRF like a “swimming pool,” siphoning off funds for political purposes while the country’s road network deteriorates. He called for road funds to be safeguarded through international mechanisms such as the World Bank to prevent mismanagement.
Grand Cape Mount County Senator Dabah Varpilah said the road sector will remain underdeveloped if funds intended for road repairs are misappropriated. She called for immediate scrutiny of collections made through fuel levies and urged the government to consider toll road options.
“If we cannot raise the funds directly, let’s bring in investors to build roads and charge tolls. That way, revenue generation will be more structured and transparent,” Varpilah suggested.
Maryland County Senator Gbleh-bo Brown warned against transferring road fund revenues from the national consolidated account to private escrow accounts without proper legal justification. He emphasized adherence to the Public Financial Management Law to ensure proper use of funds.
Gbarpolu County Senator Amara Konneh recommended that the government develop a national road master plan. He argued that funding and construction should be guided by clearly defined economic and strategic priorities.
“The fund was never meant for political roads. It should maintain feeder roads and support relocation of people affected by public projects,” Konneh said.
Senator Emmanuel Nuquay of Margibi County noted that Liberia will not solve its road crisis by focusing solely on maintenance. He called for a comprehensive strategy to pave Liberia’s approximately 12,000 kilometers of unpaved roads.
“We need a plan that estimates how much we can raise domestically and how much we need from donors or loans,” Nuquay said. He criticized the practice of budgeting lump sums without clearly outlined projects, calling it a failure in planning and accountability.
“If we don’t know the cost of each corridor, we are simply buying a pig in a bag,” he added.
The Senate’s Public Works Committee is expected to continue its review of the preliminary findings as lawmakers push for reforms to ensure proper utilization of the road fund.
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