Faced with floods, Liberia is considering moving its capital

Flash floods caused by torrential rains between late June and early July left nearly 50.000 Liberians in an emergency situation, according to the national disaster management agency.

The capital Monrovia, prone to flooding for several years, has been particularly hard hit, in part because of overcrowding, a poor sewage system and a lack of building regulations.

A joint Senate committee suggested the creation of a new capital in early July, during a meeting to discuss the ongoing flooding problem.

“It’s a good idea, because our current capital is a real mess,” said Chris Kpewudu, a young motorcycle driver in Monrovia. “There is garbage everywhere in the city and when it rains, there are floods everywhere, but with a new city, it will be well laid out and our capital could look like Abuja,” the capital of Nigeria.

“No miracle solution”

Abuja is, with Dodoma in Tanzania and Yamoussoukro in Ivory Coast, one of the rare new African capitals created by leaders towards the end of the 20th century. All three cities occupy central geographic positions in their respective countries.

The economic, political and cultural hub of the country, Monrovia is located on Liberia's western Atlantic coast and has more than 1,5 million inhabitants. It is home to the country's main port, the departure point for its exports, including iron ore, rubber and timber, to the United States and Europe.

But the city is burdened by a constantly growing population while its poor infrastructure struggles to keep up.

The Minister of Public Works is carefully examining the proposal from the joint Senate committee, the director of communications for the Ministry of Works, T. Benjamin Myers, told AFP.

Mr. Myers specifies, however, that no specific location is currently planned for the move. “The construction of a new city requires significant capital,” he emphasizes.

“Our national budget is still around $600 million. Also, the construction of a new city will require serious consideration of many technical, financial and economic factors,” he explains to the AFP.

The proposal to replace the capital is not new in Africa's oldest republic.

In 2012, then-President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf suggested moving Monrovia to a new city called Zekepa in the center of the country.

"We were all excited and looking forward to it. Unfortunately, we never even saw a plan of what the city would look like," recalls Marayah Fyneah, program coordinator of the Liberian Women's Legislative Caucus.

Ms. Fyneah has since said she is skeptical about the possibility of a new Liberian capital during her lifetime.

Like her, several residents interviewed by AFP were also doubtful, believing that the government should first give priority to improving infrastructure and the fight against poverty before looking for a new capital.

Experts have also warned of the scale of urban planning needed to create a viable new capital.

The creation of a new city is not a “silver bullet,” warns Christopher Wallace, professor of economics at the University of Liberia.

“We must take into account the economic activities that would make the economy dynamic in this area, in addition to carrying out zoning to have a clear plan of what such a city will look like,” he analyzes.