Monrovia – Several projects being undertaken by the Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA) are eventually impacting the socioeconomic activities of many Liberians.
Report by Webster J. H. Clayeh, [email protected]
JICA is responsible to supervise projects funded by the Japanese Government.
The Japanese Government through JICA projects are intervening in the areas of power, road reconstruction and capacity building of health workers.
Also, JICA has been supportive through the United Nation Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), in helping vulnerable people through vocational training and jobs creation.
All of these projects were highlighted recently during a daylong press tour by journalists who were joined by Yasunori Nakamura, the first secretary at the Japanese Embassy, located in Ghana and with oversight in Liberia.
The areas visited during the tour included the Montserrado County Health Team on Duport Road and the LEC Bushrod Island site where JICA has completed two power stations of 5MW for the Monrovia City rehabilitation project (10-megawatt Thermal Power Plant).
Also, the journalists visited the site for the reconstruction of the Somalia Drive road second phase project and a furniture project building which provided carpentry and entrepreneurship development program for vulnerable people were visited.
JICA Impacting Montserrado County Health Team
Liberia’ s health sector was rocked by the 14 years civil war and subsequently the Ebola outbreak, but assistances from JICA were able to improve health indicators through building a resilient healthcare system.
The project, which started November 2015 and ended August 2018, focused on capacity building of health practitioners.
This includes the improvement of basic management capacity, the implementation of health volunteers or the training of midwives both in the rural and urban Montserrado County.
Also in this project, about 30 motorbikes, one pickup and three vehicles were given for supervision.
An exchange visit to Japan and a pregnancy school training in Ghana were also part of the project.
The pregnancy school, which aim is to reduce maternal mortality, is now being conducted at the Soniwein Health Center in Monrovia and the Good Will Clinic in Clay-Ashland, Montserrado County.
Levi O. Yarnay is a District Health Officer (DHO) at the level of the Montserrado County Health Team.
Kamara told journalists that since the introduction of the pregnancy school, there has been a drastic reduction in the rate of maternal motility in the country.
“We have educated about 141 pregnant women from the Soniwein Health Center and that of the GoodWill Clinic. Now, unskilled delivering has been reduced,” Yarnay said.
Also speaking to journalists during the press tour, Montserrado County Health Team Officer, Dr. Yatta S. Wapoe, said funding from JICA for the last two years has made a significant impact on the progress at the level of Montserrado County Health Team.
“JICA has supported us to develop effective management of our health system. They helped us to focus on planning and monitoring and we have had a joint integrated supportive supervision,” Dr. Wapoe said.
The Montserrado County Health Team Officer furthered that JICA introduced what she called a ‘seed money program.
This program makes available micro-grants to selected health activities through the district health teams in Montserrado County.
Although the project has ended, Dr. Wapoe wants JICA to continue their assistance. She worries about support to carry on some health-related programs in the County.
She said: “The end of JICA’s support in uplifting the Montserrado County Health Team has created a huge challenge for us.”
Impacting 10mw Thermal Power Plant
Despite the completion of the Mount Coffee Hydro Power Plant, the power from the Hydro has been very low during the dry season.
JICA’s support to Liberia Electricity Corporation was able to construct a two 5mw (10mw) Thermal Power Plant on the Bushrod Island to help complement the Mount Coffee Hydro Plant during the dry season, Billy Richardson, Executive Director for generation at the Liberia Electricity Corporation LEC) says.
Richardson, along with others staffs, took a team of journalists through the Thermal Power Plant to see the positive impact of the plant on Monrovia and its environs during the dry season when the water level at the Hydro Plant gets low.
This project, supported by the Japanese Government, cost 2.23 billion yen (20 million USD). The project began December 2012 and was completed in September 2016 not too long before the Mount Coffee Hydro was commissioned.
Richardson said: “I think we are ready for it this dry season. We are running 2400hrs on each machine. Since Mount Coffee came on the Thermal Plant is only running in the dry season. What we do is testing or emergency. So, you can see that these machines are relatively new.”
So, is it in good condition, we do not have to do any major services at the moment, says the Executive Director for generation at the LEC.
According to Richardson, the 10mw Thermal Power Plant is helping the Liberian government deals with the high demand of electricity, based on the rapid economic growth.
Phase 2 of Somalia Drive to End in 2021
Also, with a 5.22 Billion Yen (over 46 million USD) grant from JICA, the project for the reconstruction of the Somalia Drive phase two is in progress.
Dai Nippon is the Japanese construction company carryin gout the works on the Somalia Drive Road.
According to Project Manager Masahiro Umehara, the road will consist of 17 bus stops, 317 street lights and traffic light at major intercessions.
The phase two of the Somalia Drive Road project will ends in May 2021, Umehara said.
“We understand the problems about the drainages at the Freeport; we are concerning to rehabilitate the drainages at the Freeport,” Umehara said.
The Project Manager added: the intercession at the Freeport will be raised 60 centimeters. And so, surrounding will also have to consider other drainages.”
Meanwhile, the First secretary at the Japanese Embassy, located in Ghana and with an oversight in Liberia Mr. Yasunori Nakumura says he is impressed that projects funded by his government in Liberia is seeking to benefit the Liberian people.
Nakumura said: “JICA will continue its assistance to Liberia, as a contribution to the improvement in the socioeconomic condition in Liberia, together with the people and the government of Liberia.”