The Gbarnga-based engineering unit of UNMIL Bangladeshi contingent (BANENGR-18) continues to contribute to the development of the road sector in Liberia. In addition to carrying out regular maintenance work on the network of roads in Lofa, Bong and Nimba counties, BANENGR-18 has begun equipping staff of the Ministry of Public Works (MoPW) with the technical know-how on road construction works management.

A week-long training, held in coordination with the Liberia Swedish Feeder Roads Project, brought together 15 staff members of MoPW, drawn from various units of the ministry – construction, feeder road, human resource and training, equipment, logistics, and security.

The participants took lessons in various levels of construction work supervision, and quality control of construction materials, as well as basic knowledge in engineering and technical issues.

At the end of the intensive training, which combined theory with practical work, the delighted participants expressed appreciation to the Bangladeshi peacekeepers for the knowledge they had acquired, and called for the organization of more of such courses. They, however, said the one week was too short for the training.  
“The training was very helpful, to me as a civil engineer,” says one of the participants, adding, “It gave me new ideas on road works supervision.”

In a related development, BANENGR-17 based in Nimba County commercial capital, Ganta, held a week-long training in the operation of road construction machines for 20 people drawn from various parts of Nimba County. The training comes at an opportune time for Nimba County as the county authorities have procured, through its Social Development Fund, several road-construction equipment for the rehabilitation of feeder roads in the county.