The Dean of the College of Business and Public Administration at the University of Liberia, Dr. Lester Teeny, disclosed that the government has invested more than $50 million to intensify the connectivity of energy in various homes in Monrovia and its environs.
Dr. Teeny made this public while he outlined some of Liberia’s President George M. Weah’s achievements noting that the present administration has greatly invested in the development of the country.
The UL Professor pointed out that although the government is actively engaged in the building industry, its efforts are focused on both that industry and the country’s intensification of the electrification process, as he explained that as the public is aware, the government invested a little over $50 million to intensify the connectivity of energy in homes and communities across the city and its surroundings.
Dr. Teeny revealed that the Sustainable Development of the Millennium Challenge Goal (MCG) included the West African Power Pool as an idea. Dr. Teeny acknowledged that it got rough after Mr. Weah assumed control but that he understood the importance of electricity in any nation’s economic development.
Dr. Teeny noted that there is a net energy deficit in the nation and added that the Weah government has upgraded the Mount Coffee Hydro Power Plant, which produces eight to eight megawatts of power at its peak during the rainy season.
In regards to the economy, Dr. Teeny said that addressing poverty requires addressing the job crisis, adding, “If the people are gainfully employed, receiving significant wages then the issue of poverty would be solved,” adding that “the issue of poverty cannot be addressed through donations of goods or services by the government, Liberia is not a welfare state so the people need to be involved in the economy”.
Every construction company in the nation, Dr. Teeny noted, has a labor force, and these labor forces are recorded for both income tax purposes and NASCOP pay purposes. Dr. Teeny noted that these data are accurate.
The bread and butter issue has become one of the most pressing issues in the country, according to Professor Teeny, and this is due to the significant unemployment rate and lack of sustainable income generation, both of which continue to cause the citizens of the nation to endure extreme hardship.
Dr. Teeny revealed that the government’s first goals included addressing the enormous unemployment gap that had remained in the economy for years.