In legendary hospitality, Mrs. Joseta Neuville, Director General of the National Road Fund of Liberia, extended a heartfelt welcome to delegates and partners notably Africa Transport Policy Program (SSATP), whose joint continental study with ARMFA is shaping the New Generation of African Road Maintenance Funds. Citing that Africa invests over USD 45 billion annually in infrastructure yet faces a USD 15 billion maintenance gap, she urged diversification through green taxation, PPPs, and climate bonds, backed by strong governance and digital innovation.
In an exceptionally supportive move, Liberia’s Minister of Finance, Augustine Kpehe Ngafuan, shared this vision in practical governance , demonstrating that sustainability is not an aspiration but an outcome of reform. His emphasis on digital revenue systems, PPPs, and transparency frameworks underlines a new African financing model: self-driven, accountable, and future-ready.
From the continental stage, AFERA-ARMFA President, Mr. Essaie Moussa Aubin, challenged the sector to innovate beyond maintenance to finance roads through green taxation, climate bonds, and digital governance, positioning Africa at the forefront of sustainable infrastructure transformation. He further outlined the Assembly’s key objectives; to define strategic orientations for the evolution of Road Maintenance Funds, harmonize legal and institutional frameworks, and launch the migration toward a new generation of Funds that are more autonomous, green, and digitally governed.
In visionary governance, President of Liberia, Joseph Nyumah Boakai’s key opening remarks and address reframed roads as “vectors of progress, social justice, and national cohesion.” He based his strategic vision for national development on unit, infrastructure, and inclusive growth. His call for institutional, technical, and financial synergy across Africa resonates deeply at a time when the continent’s integration depends on resilient corridors and climate-proof infrastructure.
Together, these speeches reaffirmed a continental truth: that the future of Africa’s roads will be written not only in asphalt, but in collaboration, accountability, and imagination.
