NRF seeks IRF to establish a West Africa training hub in Liberia

At the International Road Federation (IRF) World Congress 2024 in Istanbul, Turkey, which took place October 15th to 18th, the National Road Fund of Liberia made a significant push to position herself as a training hub for the International Road Federation (IRF) in West Africa. During a crucial one-on-one meeting, the Manager of the NRF, Mrs. Joseta Neufville-Wento, discussed this proposal with Susanna Zammataro, Director General of the IRF. The IRF training hub is crucial for Liberia as it will provide access to best practices, innovative techniques, and the latest technologies in road infrastructure development, according to Manager Wento. She added that by becoming a training hub, Liberia can address the issue of the short lifespan of roads in Liberia and improve the skills of local engineers to tackle the huge challenges of Liberia’s road network. Manager Wento asserts that this initiative will not only improve road quality and safety in Liberia, foster economic growth through improved connectivity, but it also fulfills the IRF’s key objective of promoting global road safety and infrastructure development for low-income countries. In remarks, Madam Zammataro assured Mrs. Wento that she would present the request to the IRF board, expressing optimism for its approval. “We see this move as pivotal for decentralizing the operations of the IRF and enhancing capacity building in the region,” Zammataro added.

Founded in 1948, the International Road Federation (IRF) strives to promote the worldwide development and maintenance of road networks. The IRF once every four years celebrates the road and mobility sectors as enablers of growth and development.

This year’s theme was “Connecting to Empower Mobility: Roads as Enablers of a Sustainable Future for All.” The IRF organized the 2024 Congress in collaboration with the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure of the Republic of Turkey. The Congress attracted over 2,000 participants from more than 80 countries, including over 30 ministers, high-level international organizations, and key public and private stakeholders. Discussions and presentations focused on reimagining transport systems to build a greener, safer, and more inclusive future.

In addition to this key meeting, Mrs. Wento led efforts to organize a meeting on the sidelines of the congress with Elizabeth Jones from the Foreign Commonwealth Development Organisation of the UK government, Mr. Moussa Essaïe Moussa, President of AFRICAN ROAD MAINTENANCE FUNDS ASSOCIATION (ARMFA), Mr. Nicholas Peltier, Global Director of Transport, World Bank, Mr. Dmitry Mariyasin, Deputy Executive Secretary United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, and the Road Funds Managers of Cameroon, Gabon, Zambia, Democratic Republic of Congo, Namibia, Mozambique, etc. This meeting focused on securing funding for road safety initiatives and creating an enabling environment for low-income countries. Mr. Mariyasin promised to work with the fund manager to ensure that ARMFA as a body can gain access to funding, as they are more prone to funding organizations than individual countries.

Throughout the congress, Mrs. Wento engaged with various experts in the road sector to explore ways to improve Liberia’s road network, particularly focusing on quality and extending the lifespan of paved roads. Engineer Martin Fliegl, Head of Research and Development at Fliegl Bau- & Kommunnatechnik GmbH in Germany, held a notable discussion with Manager Wento. Mr. Fliegl expressed a keen interest in addressing the issue of the short lifespan of roads in Liberia. He assured Mrs. Wento that he would visit Liberia to share his expertise and knowledge on material and temperature desegregation. Other members of the delegation who assisted Manager Wento included Mr. John H. Tokpah, Chief Administrative Officer of the NRF; Mr. Paul B. Karmon, Sr., Chief of Staff to the Minister of Public Works of Liberia; and Emmett P. Coker, Director of Media Relations, NRF. The NRF, under the leadership of Manager Wento, continues to position itself on the international stage as a crucial government agency to attract funds and knowledge to improve Liberia’s road network.

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