False! Not all projects implemented during the UNMIL period were quick-impact projects

Lee N. Monjue April 26, 2026 3 minutes read

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Lee N. Monjue

Claim: George S. Tengbeh, the Executive Director of Liberia Labour and Governance Alliance, alleged that during UNMIL’s stay in Liberia, all projects implemented were quick-impact projects, sponsored by NGO.

Verdict: False! Records show that the Mount Coffee Hydropower Plant project was initiated by the Liberian government.

Full Text

The Executive Director of Liberia Labour and Governance Alliance, George S. Tengbeh, claimed that during UNMIL’s stay in Liberia, all projects implemented were quick-impact projects, sponsored by NGO.

George S. Tengbeh made the claim at 23:00 during the live interview with KMTV. The live interview generated 15 likes and 43 comments as of April 20, 2026.

UNMIL and the Quick Impact Project during Sirleaf’s regime:

UNMIL stands for the United Nations Mission in Liberia. It is a peacekeeping operation established by the UN Security Council in September 2003 to support a ceasefire and peace process following the Liberian civil war. The Quick Impact Project was an initiative of the United Nations in Liberia (UNMIL) that started in 2004 to rehabilitate damaged infrastructures and support education. The project ended when the UNMIL peacekeeping mission departed Liberia in 2018, after 15 years of service.

Former President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf was inaugurated as the 24th President of Liberia on January 16, 2006, as Africa’s first elected female head of state. During her administration from 2006 to 2018, the government of Liberia was a unitary, presidential, and democratic state.

The Sirleaf administration was focused on post-war reconstruction, economic reforms, and the stabilisation of the executive, legislative, and judiciary branches of government.

However, DUBAWA decided to conduct a fact-check of the claim as part of its mandate to counter misinformation and disinformation, and to promote truth-telling in public discourse.

Verification

Contrary to George S. Tengbeh’s claim, research on the official website of the Embassy of the Republic of Liberia in the United States shows that the Mount Coffee Hydropower Plant project was an initiative of the Liberian government.

The project was commissioned in December 2016 by former President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf.

The government of Liberia, through the 2015/2016 fiscal budget, appropriated US$1 million towards the staff housing project at Tubman University in Maryland County.

Also in September 2015, the government of Liberia dedicated the construction of the Caldwell Bridge that connects Caldwell to Bushrod Island.

One of her last projects dedicated in January 2018 was the John G. Bestman Training Institute in Marshall City, Lower Margibi

Conclusion

Based on evidence from the official website of the Embassy of the Republic of Liberia in the United States and the Ministry of Finance on government projects, the claim made by George S. Tengbeh is false.

1 thought on “False! Not all projects implemented during the UNMIL period were quick-impact projects”

Perhaps it would be better if you replayed the interview to get the actual excerpts. I have no doubt that, in no time, I can make a statement that 100% of the projects during the UNMIL era were quick-impact. I was unequivocal that the vast majority of the projects were postwar and not for sustainable solutions. The Caldwell Bridge connecting Caldwell to Bushrod Island has been constructed and reconditioned over 4 times. I live in Caldwell and see it all the time. The Mount coffee hydro power plant existed before the era of UNMIL; how, then, could names such as these be part of the projects? The roads were built using millions of dollars from donors, but without drainage. Is that a sustainable project? They were hurriedly built to ease the transportation stress in the country. People were reintegrated into society without a full reintegration road map and procedures, owing to the fact that child soldiers and other ex-combatants were abusers of drugs. Today, Liberia has a society of zoggos, many of whom were former soldiers and child soldiers. How then can you say my analysis was wrong? We all know the story of the John G. Bestman Training Institute. Can you also say that was a sustainable project?

George S Tengbeh says:

May 27, 2026 at 23:23

Perhaps it would be better if you replayed the interview to get the actual excerpts. I have no doubt that, in no time, I can make a statement that 100% of the projects during the UNMIL era were quick-impact. I was unequivocal that the vast majority of the projects were postwar and not for sustainable solutions. The Caldwell Bridge connecting Caldwell to Bushrod Island has been constructed and reconditioned over 4 times. I live in Caldwell and see it all the time. The Mount coffee hydro power plant existed before the era of UNMIL; how, then, could names such as these be part of the projects? The roads were built using millions of dollars from donors, but without drainage. Is that a sustainable project? They were hurriedly built to ease the transportation stress in the country. People were reintegrated into society without a full reintegration road map and procedures, owing to the fact that child soldiers and other ex-combatants were abusers of drugs. Today, Liberia has a society of zoggos, many of whom were former soldiers and child soldiers. How then can you say my analysis was wrong? We all know the story of the John G. Bestman Training Institute. Can you also say that was a sustainable project?