By: Henry B. Gboluma, Jr. | Correspondent henryv2030@gmail.com
Zuie Town, Gbarpolu County—Saturday, April 5, 2025-Amidst poor infrastructures and lack of basic social services, Gbarpolu County is currently carrying out development consultations across the county. The county wide consultation is aimed at collecting inputs from local communities through district consultations to inform the leadership of the county about future development projects.
At a consultation held in Zuie Town on April 2, 2025, Gbarpolu County Development Officer (CDO), Onangba Normanlee underscored the importance of community’s involvement in the developmental drive of every county.
“This new government emphasizes that we must come to you and ask what you want,” said Normanlee. “This approach marks a significant departure from past practices where decisions were often made by a select few without broader community inputs,” Normanlee added.
During the meeting, citizens of Kongba District identified three priority projects they considered urgent for 2025. They named roads, infrastructure development and the construction of a new school in Zuie as the projects they want see implemented this year.
“In this district, many people walk for hours to reach the only clinic, and some even travel to Sierra Leone for treatment due to our poor roads,” said Gbellay Fully, a resident of the area.
He highlighted the improvement of the road from Tuma Town to Zuie Town so as to ensure better access to healthcare delivery and enhanced livelihood in that part of Liberia.
The locals chose education due to its pressing need since the only school in the district headquarters, the Joseph V. McGill Public School, is in a deplorable state described by many as a “death trap.”
Annie F. Boaka, a teacher and registrar at the school, emphasized the lack of adequate facilities.
She said, “We have limited seating and no proper toilets. Currently, we serve 214 students, including 136 girls and 78 boys.”
She believes that the district’s demand for a modern junior high school reflects their commitment to providing quality education for school going kids in the area.
Under infrastructure development, the citizens proposed the construction of a commissioner compound in Zuie Town to host local government officials there.
The chairperson of the county council, Lucia Massaquoi told the gathering that the significance of the consultations is to ensure that available limited funds are utilized effectively.
“We must thank the government for the Local Government Act, which says that we take development to you people. We will assess all projects and collaborate with local administration and the county engineer to estimate costs for each initiative. This will be an ongoing process every year,” Massaquoi said.
During the consultations, Gbarpolu County’s finance officer, Howard Bunday informed citizens of the county that the exercise will continue in the rest of the districts. Guo Nwolaila, Bokomu, Belle, and Bopolu Districts are short listed to be visited for similar consultations.
Similar consultation was held in Gbarma Town, Gbarma District, on March 3, 2025, attended by 44 delegates, including chiefs, elders, and representatives from various communities.
Citizens of Gbarma proposed the renovation of the Gbarma Administrative Building, the construction of a new radio station, a modern clan chief compound in Tarpoimah Town, and a vocational school in Gbarma Town as their targeted projects for 2025.
Located in western Liberia, Gbarpolu is one of the newest counties with slow pace of development. It gained county status in the earliest 2000s during the administration of former Liberian President, Charles Taylor.
This budget year, 2025, Gbarpolu has an allotment of $186,000 from the national government as county development fund (CDF). Its developmental envelope was increased by $520,000 designated for social development in the Western Cluster social corporate responsibility for the 2025 Fiscal Year.
The hope of locals is a departure from “business as usual” to tangible development and a future full of hopes for residents.
Edited: Esau J. Farr| Assistant Editor
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