| Project Detail |
The Mano River Union Road Development and Transport Facilitation Programme - Phase IV is a regional level operation that is part of the ten-year Programme of the Mano River Union (MRU), which is an intergovernmental organisation created in 1973, grouping together 4 ECOWAS member countries (Côte dIvoire, Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone). This Programme aims, among other things, to improve the connectivity of road networks, to open up and develop cross-border areas, which despite their great potential, are among the main areas of social instability and fragility on the African continent. In this operation, the project covers Liberia and Sierra Leaon. The operation is structured around activities divided into four components: i) Climate Resilient Upgrading of Roads that aims to expand and improve the two road segments to asphaltic concrete. ii) Climate Resilient Transport and Trade Facilitation; iii) Integrated and Institutional Support Measures, this will support institutional reforms initiatives and capacity building to sector engineers such as professional training and the development of climate resilient roads standards and toll policy to guide future investment in the sector. iv) Programme Management (It aims at strengthening the capacity of Executing Agencies and monitoring the implementation of components 1, 2 and 3).
Project Objectives
The development objective of the programme is to contributes towards greater integration and trade in the Mano River Union subregion by supporting cross border transport infrastructures. Strategically, it aims to contribute to opening up of the interior of Liberia, and Sierra Leone and to strengthening sub-regional integration and trade.
Beneficiaries
The road sections of the Programme are located in the River Gee and Grand Gedeh Counties in Liberia and the Eastern Province, particularly the District of Kailahun in Sierra Leone. The abovementioned areas constitute the Direct Programme Influence Zone (DPIZ). However, as these road sections are part of the ECOWAS Community Roads, their Extended Zones of Influence (EZI) cover other regions in the two countries, as well as in the bordering countries. The total area of the DPIZ is 7,410 km² in Liberia and 3,859 km² in Sierra Leone, which is 3,74% of the area of the two countries. It has a population 270,768 habitants in Liberia and 526,379 in Sierra Leone, representing 4.47% of the total population of the two countries. The proportion of women in the DPIZ is on average 51.08%. The age structure shows that in the DPIZ the proportion of under 25s is 65% of the population, the under 15s is 49% and the 10-19s over 22%. |
