Residents Blame MNG Gold for Damaging Gbarnga Kokoyah Road

Monrovia Liberia:People living near the Gbarnga Kokoyah highway are upset with Turkish mining company MNG Gold. They say the company is making the road worse instead of better.
Recently, more than 20 MNG Gold trucks were seen pouring crushed rocks into potholes along the road. MNG Gold says this is part of its plan to fix the road. But motorcyclists and drivers are angry saying the rocks are sharp and are damaging their bikes and cars.
One motorcyclist told Rural Journal
“The rocks are damaging our bikes. This is not helping us — it’s making things worse.”
Others say they are now spending more money to fix their tires and replace broken parts. Some parts of the road, especially between Duala and Kokoyah, are now almost impossible to pass.
Despite the complaints, MNG Gold says it is still committed to fixing the road. On a Bong County radio station, company spokesperson Matthew Gbanken said the company is getting ready to restart underground gold mining in Kokoyah.
He said equipment is being brought into the area, and asked people to be patient. He also said MNG Gold is still following its agreement with local leaders.
Gbanken said the company has given scholarships to students in the area and recently donated bags of rice and other supplies to the Bong County Blind Association.
But some people don’t agree. They say MNG Gold has been mining gold in Kokoyah since 2015 but has not fixed the main road. The company stopped mining in 2022, saying the price of gold had dropped.
Now that MNG Gold is returning, Representative James Kolleh of Bong County District #2 says the company did not inform him about restarting operations.
“I was not officially informed by the company,” Kolleh said.
He wants the company to update the agreement before starting again.
Many residents are not convinced by the company’s promises. They say the bad road is just the beginning of more problems.
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