Congo Town Overpasses Spark Political Storm

By Stephen G. Fellajuah

MONROVIA, Liberia, October 30, 2026: The ongoing construction of two overpass bridges along Tubman Boulevard in Congo Town has sparked a political dispute between supporters of former President George Manneh Weah’s Congress for Democratic Change (CDC) and President Joseph Nyuma Boakai’s ruling Unity Party (UP), with both sides claiming credit for the Chinese-funded infrastructure project.

While CDC supporters insist that the project was initiated and negotiated under the Weah administration, supporters of the ruling Unity Party point to the Boakai government’s role in overseeing its implementation and advancing construction.

The controversy has revived debate over which administration deserves recognition for major infrastructure projects initiated under previous governments but implemented or completed by their successors.

Official records indicate that the Congo Town overpass project originated during the Weah administration, following diplomatic engagements between Liberia and China.

On September 1, 2018, former President Weah met Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing, where discussions centered on strengthening bilateral relations and supporting infrastructure development in Liberia.

According to an Executive Mansion statement issued at the time, the discussions included plans to construct two overpasses at SKD Boulevard and near the Ministerial Complex in Congo Town.

The initiative gained momentum on September 9, 2019, when Liberia and China signed an agreement for the construction of the two overhead bridges, according to records from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Another significant milestone came on June 8, 2021, when the two countries signed an implementation agreement for the project along Tubman Boulevard.

The Ministry of Public Works subsequently identified the overpasses as part of China’s infrastructure assistance to Liberia.

CDC supporters argue that these diplomatic engagements and agreements establish that the project was conceived and negotiated under the Weah administration, contrary to suggestions that it originated under President Boakai.

However, supporters of the ruling Unity Party maintain that the current administration deserves recognition for advancing the project through the construction phase.

The disagreement underscores the distinction between initiating and securing financing for infrastructure projects and supervising their implementation and eventual completion.

The controversy also comes amid a broader political exchange between officials of the current and former administrations over the ownership of ongoing development projects.

Finance and Development Planning Minister Augustine K. Ngafuan recently challenged claims by former Finance Minister Samuel Tweah that several projects being implemented by the Boakai administration were inherited from the CDC government.

Ngafuan argued that completing unfinished projects inherited from previous administrations does not prevent the government from pursuing new development initiatives.

“If you had completed the old projects, we would have been doing only the new projects. But we now have to complete the old projects while doing the new ones simultaneously,” Ngafuan said.

His remarks reflect the administration’s position that completing inherited infrastructure projects forms part of its responsibility to ensure continuity in national development.

Meanwhile, construction of the two Congo Town overpasses remained underway as of October 28, 2026.

The bridges are expected to ease traffic congestion, improve road safety and reduce travel times along Tubman Boulevard, a major transportation corridor connecting Monrovia and Paynesville.

The project, estimated at approximately US$36.6 million, is being financed by the Chinese government through an assistance grant.

Although the political debate over credit continues, the project’s documented history spans successive administrations, from diplomatic negotiations and agreements under Weah to ongoing construction under Boakai. -Editing by The New Dawn

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