Boakai Breaks Ground for Long-Awaited 86KM Lofa Highway, Says “The Time Has Come”

 Mendikorma, Foya, Lofa, Liberia: President Joseph Nyuma Boakai Sr. on Saturday officially broke ground for the long-awaited 86-kilometer Mendikorma Voinjama Highway Project in Lofa County, describing the occasion as a delayed vision finally coming to reality.

Speaking during the ceremony, President Boakai disclosed that the original launch for the Gbarnga–Mendikorma Road Corridor had been planned long ago, but several circumstances prevented the project from moving forward at the time.

“This particular road, the original design for the Gbarnga Mendicorma Road Corridor has been with me since the time it was supposed to be launched. The date was set, but we ran into other activities,” the President said. “As people say, God has time for everything, and certainly He does. Today, we are here for the groundbreaking ceremony.”

The Liberian leader arrived in Foya City aboard a Mission Aviation Fellowship aircraft along with members of his delegation and was received by senior government officials, local authorities, chiefs, elders, and residents of Lofa County.

Among officials present were Internal Affairs Minister Francis S. Nyumalin and Public Works Minister Lafayette Roland Giddings, accompanied by engineers and technical teams attached to the project.

Private sector representatives also attended the event, including Pavifort Associates CEO Alimou Sanu Barrie, whose company is contracted to carry out the pavement works on the strategic highway.

In a moment that drew laughter from the crowd, President Boakai explained why he decided to travel to Lofa by air instead of road.

“This is Lofa. If I come by road, all the nephews and nieces will say stop, stop here,” he joked. “So I came by air to go back because we will come to Salayea again one day to conclude and relaunch the road because we want to connect Lofa by paved road.”

The 86KM Mendikorma Voinjama Highway Project is expected to improve transportation, strengthen trade activities, and enhance movement between communities along the Liberia–Sierra Leone corridor.

The initiative forms part of the Boakai administration’s broader push to expand paved road connectivity and unlock economic opportunities across Liberia’s rural counties.