Liberia's Gedetarbo Electricity Project Rekindles Hope after Decades

Residents of Gedetarbo in Maryland County have welcomed a new electricity project after decades without reliable power, following a September 2 groundbreaking ceremony that brought local leaders, the Liberia Electricity Corporation (LEC) and residents together to begin the project.

The project was unveiled in Gedetarbo, Pleebo-Sodoken District, as residents said access to electricity could improve local businesses, security, livelihoods and the learning environment for schoolchildren.

The development also brought renewed questions about electricity access around the Cavalla Rubber Corporation (CRC) concession, as Maryland County District #1 Commissioner Jerome Neufville questioned why nearby communities still lack reliable electricity although CRC generates power for its operations.

Decades without reliable electricity

Residents at the ceremony said Gedetarbo had relied for years on alternative and limited sources of lighting because the community lacked reliable electricity.

Chiefs, elders, women and youths welcomed the project and praised Maryland County Senator James P. Biney for advocating for electricity to reach the community.

They said electricity could give local businesses better conditions to operate and provide a safer environment at night. They also said schoolchildren could have a better place to study.

Residents pledged to cooperate with authorities and LEC as the project is implemented.

The project is not the first electricity intervention linked to Biney in Gedetarbo. Residents recalled that the senator had previously provided solar panels as an initial response to the community's electricity problem.

Biney said electricity expansion is a major development priority for Maryland County and that providing power to the county is long overdue.

He said sustained government investment would be needed to expand electricity access.

The senator also explained that logistical problems had caused some delays with the Gedetarbo project. He assured residents that the initiative would proceed, with LEC expected to carry out the necessary technical work.

Biney disclosed that another ceremony would be held in Gedetarbo within the next three to four weeks as work on the electrification project progresses.

He declined to disclose the project's total cost, saying the appropriate government institution should provide the official figure after completion.