GANTA, NIMBA COUNTY – Ganta City Mayor Samuel Saye Hardt has announced that approximately 13.3 kilometers of key roads in Ganta will soon be paved, advancing the government’s ambitious infrastructure agenda.
By D. Franklin Doloquee/ Nimba County
Speaking after a recent development conference, Mayor Hardt disclosed that the Minister of Public Works had assured city leaders that Ganta is next in line for the national road connectivity plan.
A high-level delegation from the ministry, including five deputy directors and the minister himself, arrived shortly afterward for a hands-on
feasibility assessment, touring the city’s pothole-riddled arteries under the tropical sun. Ganta’s streets, mostly graded but unpaved, pose daily hardships for residents and motorists.
Come June, when monsoon downpours swell nearby streams like the St. John River, vehicles skid, bridges flood, and commerce grinds to a halt in this vital border town linking Liberia to Guinea and Côte d’Ivoire.
After a full-day inspection from dawn patrols through crowded markets to late-afternoon evaluations ending around 4:30 p.m., engineers and officials pinpointed 13.3 kilometers of priority routes for asphalt transformation.
“We are blessed to receive this project,” Mayor Hardt declared with evident pride. “It will cover 13 to 14 streets, including long, straight corridors from People’s Street and the vibrant St. John Belt area, stretching toward the Esther and Jereline Koung Medical Hospital junction and the bustling hospital zone.’’
‘‘We’ll also pave paths through Glenyiluu’s residential hills, the steep Tokay Hill, and loops around the mayor’s office,” Strategic Detours form a centerpiece: one will snake from the historic Methodist Compound through Toweh Yard and the gritty Old Car Garage district, reconnecting to major highways and the police station exit.
These bypasses aim to divert rumbling heavy-duty trucks laden with iron ore, rubber, and imported goods that currently choke Ganta’s narrow main drag, easing gridlock in a city where motorbikes weave like schools of fish amid overloaded taxis.
Beyond traffic relief, Mayor Hardt envisions an economic boom. “Once paved, businesses will spill beyond the main streets,” he said. “Stores will sprout in new neighborhoods, creating jobs in construction, retail, and transport.
Imagine roadside kiosks evolving into proper markets, young entrepreneurs opening mechanics shops along fresh blacktop, and farmers trucking produce to border markets without losing half their harvest to breakdowns.”
In a town already humming as Nimba’s trade epicenter, these roads could unlock real estate growth, drawing investment and expanding the urban footprint.
The technical team is slated to return imminently to kick off construction, marking a milestone for Ganta’s evolution from a rugged trading post to a modern hub.
Yet progress carries a cost. “Development comes with pain,” the mayor candidly acknowledged, signaling that some roadside structures, humble homes, zinc-roofed shops, and fences may need demolition to widen corridors. Community meetings are underway to identify affected owners, with promises of fair compensation and relocation support, though whispers of unease ripple through neighborhoods like Glenyiluu, where families have deep roots. On a brighter note, security remains stable.
Mayor Hardt thanked Liberia National Police Inspector General Gregory Coleman and local commanders for their vigilance, alongside the Liberia Drug Enforcement Agency’s crackdown on narcotics.
Drug activities have plummeted, but he urged more resources: “Our police give their all with what they have. We need vehicles for robust nighttime patrols to keep this peace locked in.”
