The Acting Executive Director of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has proposed the establishment of the Bong County Development Corporation (BCDC) to address the need of the county with the county development fund as the largest shareholder.
Dr. Emmanuel K. Urey Yarkpawolo made the proposal when he served as the first commencement speaker for the Sumo MoyeMemorial Technical College in Gbarnga, Bong County, on Saturday, March 30, 2024. He said the Bong County Development Corporation as a vehicle for development and job creation in Bong County could do a thorough research of the county to identify key natural resources and value them accordingly. This is to place the county in a better negotiating position when companies are coming to extract resources.
“I understand Liberia as a unitary state, Bong county cannot be independent of Liberia but the good news is that Liberia is moving heavily towards decentralization and devolution of national powers and decision making. The Land Rights Law that gives land rights to local communities and introduces Free, Prior and Informed Consent over the extraction of natural resources and concession agreements; the Local Governance Law that establishes county boards as well as the establishment of county development funds, are all vehicles that the County Development Corporation can use to bargain with the national government on benefits sharing from natural resources”, he stated.
He also said the Bong County Development Corporation can also be a vehicle for capacity building for young people where a mentorship program can be developed wherein students here could be paired with mentors both in Liberia and outside Liberia. For instance, an electrical engineering student in Bong county could be paired with an electrician from Bong but who has actively worked in the field. This technique can also guarantee a job for the mentee depending on his or her intellect and attitudes.
“Finally, I call on the proposed Bong Development Corporation to build an industrial park located in Gbarnga. Study.com defines an industrial park as an area of the city that is set up for industrial use only instead of residential or commercial use. Industrial parks may include warehouses, distribution supply hubs, and other factories. Gbarnga is centrally located connecting Lofa, Nimba, Grand Bassa, Margibi and GbarpoluCounties. Gbarnga also connects Guinea and Ivory Coast. This is why creating an industrial park has huge economic benefits”, he further said.
According to Dr. Yarkpawolo, the idea is to conduct research to identify the business or industrial potentials of Bong County and create an enabling environment that will support these businesses. For instance, the park could construct warehouses, facilities to host and process palm oil, cocoa, coffee, rice, minerals, production machines, service centers, etc. A centralized power generation that powers the industrial center could drive down the cost of business, which could provide opportunities for job creation.
The EPA Chief Executive also spoke of the idea to use a business model to support development using sports as a unifying tool. This, he added is an innovation to solve some of the development challenges and stalled development projects in Bong County.
He recounted, for example in the County Development Agenda that was developed in 2007 with implementation timeline from 2008-2012, several major projects were identified. These included the construction and or rehabilitation of 144 roads, seven major bridges, six high schools, 83 elementary schools, two teacher training centers, two nursing schools, 64 health clinics/health centers/ midwifery clinics and two hospitals. Seventeen years after the first post-war development agenda was developed for Bong County, little has been achieved.
“Development Leagues as an instrument for development: What I am envisioning and proposing is to use sports as a development tool to rally our people to support the implementation of these projects. For example, with the support from the Bong County Development Corporation, each major town could have a football and kickball team named after the town (many of these towns already have these teams). The idea is to open up a competition over development projects through sports*, he said.
Speaking further, he mentioned that during the clan development agenda meetings, each town proposes their own project(s). Some could be clinics, some roads and others schools which, he indicated that citizens could have a clan league in each district. Part of the prices of the winning team or town is to win development projects that will be supported during the following year. This may encourage townspeople to get involved in supporting their teams.
He also said winners of the clan league could participate in the district league. The same idea of competition for projects and for trophies could apply to the district league. There may be an argument that a district winning over and over may skew development projects in their favor. This is a possibility but additional rules such as if you win for this year and are given development projects and you win the following year, the second winner could carry the development projects, and so on.
“Winners of the district development league could participate in the county development league. It is from the county development league that we could draw up our county team to participate in the National County Meet. Again, what I am proposing is not a mere football or kickball game. What I am proposing is to address development needs but using sports as a tool for unity for purpose.
“During the last days of the presidential campaign, I participated in a soccer match organized by the Muslims of Bong County. It was a beautiful game with the final played at the David KuyonSports Stadium. This is a testament that sport is also a unifying force amongst our Muslim brothers and sisters. Therefore, I am proposing that sport be used to unify the different religions in our county with a focus on ensuring development across all religions in Bong County”, he added.
Dr. Yarkpawolo also told the audience that the district development league could culminate into an annual week of Return and Reunion of the People (RRP) of Bong County. Organized under the auspices of the Bong County Development Corporation, he proposed several activities for the week of Return and Reunion. Part of the week activities could be used for the county development sitting where the agenda could be developed for the coming years.
The diaspora Liberians particularly the United Bong Association in the Americas, among others could be represented at these development agenda meetings. This could afford the opportunity to review the past year activities, identify new lines of development opportunities including business opportunities and job creation. Part of the activities could also be to showcase the various products of Bong including food festivals and cultural and art festivals, etc. This could also create the opportunity for international business interests to visit the county and engage in business opportunities and negotiations.
