The Monrovia City Corporation, in partnership with the European Union and other local partners, has commenced the planting of 100 coconut trees as part of the “Monrovia Urban Greenery and Climate Resilience” project.
The Monrovia Urban Greenery and Climate Resilience project begins at Johansen, extends to Pan African Plaza Beach and continues toward the back of the Executive Mansion and Mamba Point.
The project is Funded by the European Union (EU) Delegation in Liberia and the Monrovia City Corporation (MCC), and it seeks to strengthen climate resilience through the planting of coconut trees to protect the shorelines from sea erosion by anchoring sandy soils with a dense, complex root network.
The planting of the trees was spearheaded by the Monrovia City Corporation, European Union, local partners and community dwellers who have been admonished to serve as environmental stewards by actively protecting their communities.
Speaking during a brief ceremony, the Mayor of the Monrovia City Corporation, John-Charuk Siafa, said in addition to cleaning the streets, the Monrovia City Corporation is taking practical steps to protect the environment.
On the sideline of the tree planting exercise, the Mayor also informed the media and other stakeholders that the Monrovia City Corporation is currently embarking on the renovation of a public latrine along the beach to prevent open defecation, which has over the years contaminated the local beaches.
The Mayor gave a straight mandate to the contractors to ensure that the renovation is completed in a week’s time.
“The Monrovia City Corporation is also at an advanced stage of erecting security booths along the coastline to keep surveillance in close collaboration with the local leadership,” he disclosed.
Mayor John-Charuk Siafa also shone light on sections of the new Administrative Regulations that pushes for a mandatory subscription to waste collection service providers, challenging community residents to subscribe with a company to collect and dispose of their garbage.
He disclosed that, in addition to waste reduction, the compulsory subscription to CBEs will provide direct job opportunities for the residents who will be hired by the varied companies operating in their areas.
Mayor Siafa extolled the EU for the support, and assured the residents that the MCC will continue to collaborate with the EU delegation to have the project replicated in other communities.
For his part, the Head of Cooperation of the European Union, Jeroen Witkamp, challenged the residents to take ownership of the project by leveraging the vast economic opportunities that exist along the coastline.
Witkamp said the immense touristic potential of the coastline can only be achieved if the community members help the local government in making the environment attractive to foreign nationals and citizens alike.
Meanwhile, the Executive Director of Clean Ocean View Liberia (a local partner), Faith A Kulu, and Steve S. Konah, Executive Director of FOR Beach Liberia, have committed continuous partnership with the city government to protect the environment.
The Vice President of the National Community Based Enterprise (NACOBI), Dorris Divine, has expressed optimism that the new approach of mandatory subscription, would significantly contribute to garbage reduction in Monrovia.
The local residents, especially the youth groups, and community leaders were actively involved in the planting of the trees, which signifies their initial support of the project.
