Severe flooding in Liberia has prompted a group of senators to propose relocating the capital city, Monrovia, due to its overcrowding and poor management. The suggestion has received mixed reactions from citizens and experts.
Flash floods in June and July left nearly 50,000 Liberians in need, highlighting the city’s vulnerability. The senate joint committee proposed establishing a new city to replace Monrovia, citing its poor sewage system, lack of building regulation, and overpopulation.
Some citizens, like Chris Kpewudu, support the idea: “It’s a good idea because our current capital city is a mess… There is garbage all over the city and also when it rains, there is flooding everywhere, but with a new city, it will be well laid out and our capital city could look like, or more than, Abuja.”
However, others are hesitant, prioritizing infrastructure improvement and poverty reduction over a new capital.
Journalist Princess Elexa VanjahKollie said, “Our lawmakers are forgetting the issues that we have on hand as a country. Even the city of Monrovia is poorly managed in terms of sanitation and a lot more.”
Experts like Christopher Wallace warn that establishing a new city is not a quick fix, requiring extensive urban planning, economic viability, and zoning.
He said, “To establish a new city is not a quick fix… You want to consider the economic activities that would make the economy vibrant in that area, and you must have done zoning to have a clear layout of what such a city will look like.”
The Ministry of Public Works is reviewing the proposal, considering factors like economic viability and location.
“Having a new city is capital-intensive… As a country, our national budget is still around $600 million… so having a new city will require a lot of technical, financial, and economic factors to be seriously considered,” said T. T. Benjamin Myers, the ministry’s communications director.
The idea of relocating Monrovia is not new, with a previous attempt in 2012 failing to materialize.
Marayah Fyneah, the national program officer of the Liberian Women’s Legislative Caucus, said, “We were all enthusiastic and looking forward to that… But unfortunately, we did not even see a plan to show what the city would look like.”
Fyneah expressed skepticism about the new proposal, saying she doubts a new Liberian capital will materialize in her lifetime.
