The World Bank Regional Vice President for Western and Central Africa, Ousmane Diagana, for the first time since assuming his position in July 2020 is visiting Liberia. Vice President Diagana arrived in Liberia on Tuesday, February 14, 2023, on a two-day official visit. This visit forms part of his official tour of West and Central Africa.
While in Liberia, Vice President Diagana, along with His Excellency President George Manneh Weah and a host of Liberian government officials, will inspect on-going road rehabilitation work on the 6.1 km road linking S.D. Cooper-to-Coca Cola Factory Road, including ELWA and Red-Light intersections, funded by the World Bank through Liberia Road Asset Management Project (LIBRAMP). The inspection of the project is scheduled for Wednesday morning, February 15, 2023.
President Weah will also play host to the World Bank executive at the Executive Mansion during the afternoon, where a Presidential lunch will be served. It is expected that President Weah and the WB Regional Vice President will have a closed-door meeting after the lunch, where matters of national concern will be raised by the Liberian leader, in the interest of national development.
After the closed-door meeting, Vice President Diagana will then convene an interactive meeting with officials of the Liberian government. The meeting will be attended by President Weah, ministers of Mines and Energy, Public Works, Justice, Transport, Agriculture, Health, Education, Commerce and Industry and the Liberia Electricity Corporation (LEC).
The day will be climaxed by a dinner at the EJS Ministerial Complex, which will be hosted by the ministers of Finance and Development and Foreign Affairs.
Liberia joined the World Bank Group on March 28, 1962, and since then the bank has been one of its key development partners, supporting major investments in health, education, energy, agriculture, fisheries and transport. The World Bank’s affiliate, International Finance Company (IFC), has also been a key supporter of various private sector activities. The total World Bank portfolio for Liberia stands at $1.3 billion, covering 22 national projects ($912 million) and 4 regional projects ($402 million).