IN response to severe flooding, Liberian senators have proposed relocating the capital city from Monrovia. This bold suggestion aims to address the persistent issues of overcrowding and poor infrastructure that plague the current capital. The proposal has elicited a range of reactions across the country.
Heavy rains between late June and early July triggered flash floods, leaving around 48,000 Liberians in desperate need, according to the National Disaster Management Agency (NDMA). Monrovia, prone to flooding due to overpopulation, inadequate sewage systems, and lack of building regulations, was particularly affected.
NDMA Executive Director Ansu Dulleh underscored the crisis’s severity, stating, ‘Women, children, and the elderly are the majority of the affected. The scale of the flooding is unlike any we have ever witnessed. Our systems are overwhelmed and cannot address all the competing needs associated with this crisis.’ Dulleh urged both local and international partners to support the NDMA in aiding the affected population.
The Daily Observer newspaper reported that approximately 100,000 people are at risk of flooding, windstorms, and coastal erosion, with an anticipated rise in water-borne diseases. The UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework 2020-2024 for Liberia stresses the necessity of increasing resilience and adaptive capacity to combat climate change effects.
A senate joint committee convened in early July to discuss the ongoing flooding problem and suggested establishing a new city to replace Monrovia. This idea mirrors the planning of other capital cities in Africa, such as Abuja in Nigeria, Dodoma in Tanzania, and Yamoussoukro in Côte d’Ivoire.
Monrovia, which houses 1.5 million people, sits on Liberia’s Atlantic coast and serves as the country’s economic, political, and cultural hub. However, the city’s infrastructure is inadequate to support its expanding population. The Freeport of Monrovia is essential for exporting Liberian goods like iron ore, rubber, and timber to international markets.
The Ministry of Public Works is currently reviewing the proposal. However, an exact location for the new capital has not been identified, and the plan’s economic feasibility is a major concern. ‘Creating a new city is capital-intensive,’ said T. T. Benjamin Myers, the ministry’s communications director. ‘Given that our national budget is still around $600 million, establishing a new city will require careful consideration of technical, financial, and economic factors.’
As the government evaluates the proposal, Liberia faces the dual challenge of addressing the immediate needs of its citizens while contemplating long-term solutions to its infrastructure problems. The suggestion to move the capital reflects the urgency of finding sustainable solutions to prevent future flooding disasters.
