Monrovia- August 6, 2021: President George Weah has broken ground for the much talk about UAE founded project called the “PHP UNITY SPORTS PARK” in PHP community. The ground breaking program which was held on Thursday, August 6, brought together some officials of government and the community dwellers. Speaking at the program, President Weah thanked the government of the UAE and people for the project, while urging Liberians to continue to peacefully co-exist to develop the country.

Here is the President George Weah Full Statement below:

REMARKS BY HIS EXCELLENCY DR. GEORGE MANNEH WEAH
PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF LIBERIA
AT THE GROUND-BREAKING CEREMONY
FOR THE PHP UNITY SPORTS PARK
PHP COMMUNITY, SOUTH BEACH
MONROVIA, LIBERIA
AUGUST 5, 2021

DISTINGUISHED LADIES AND GENTLEMEN:

Today is a historical day for the people of the PHP Community and our country at large. It is an honor to stand here today and break ground where I previously lived with my aunt, Tinakon-Weti. This place, PHP, allowed me the opportunity to see and touch great national players of St. Jerry, I.E. and the Lone Star of Liberia.

We have gathered here today to break ground for the PHP BEACH SPORTS FACILITY PROJECT which will officially be named the “PHP UNITY SPORTS PARK”. This facility will provide the citizens of Monrovia, as well as those from other parts of Liberia, with a modern, multi-purpose sports and recreation facility that will contribute to their good health, fitness, and well-being. As a public park, it will be freely accessible and available to anyone and everyone who seeks to use it.

I am informed that, when completed, hopefully within the next twelve months, this multi-million dollars PHP UNITY SPORTS PARK will contain a full outdoor gym, a children’s playground, two
football fields, two basketball courts, and two volleyball courts, as well as a boardwalk.

Minister Kpui, please make sure that there are bathroom facilities for those with disabilities because the disabled citizens are an important part of our society.

There will also be restaurants, a grandstand, a souvenir shop, and a National Unity Monument. Additionally, the complex will include an administrative building, car parks, and adequate sanitary and security facilities.

DISTINGUISHED LADIES AND GENTLEMEN:

Today has brought me yet another opportunity to realize my dreams and aspirations for the happiness and well-being of our citizens.

Throughout my entire career as a professional football player, which took me to many parts of the world in pursuit of my dream, I always admired the scale of development that I saw, and wondered how this could be brought to bear in my own country.

That is why during my visit in 2019 to Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates, as President of Liberia, I requested cooperation and assistance from the UAE for the development of infrastructure in Liberia. Among several infrastructural projects which were identified for consideration at that time, I proposed the concept of a sports and recreational facility to be built in Monrovia along one of our famous beach communities – PHP Community. This community not only has a strong history of producing great athletes, but is also a historical place which reminds us all of the importance of peace and unity.

This project was one of the first to be approved, although delayed by the COVID pandemic and the tendering process, it will be sponsored almost entirely by resources provided by the Government of the UAE through the Abu Dhabi Fund. I would therefore like to thank my dear friend and brother, the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, for once again keeping his promise to collaborate with us in tangible ways towards achieving our developmental agenda.

This is a demonstration of the productive and strategic bilateral and multilateral relationships that my Administration has continued to forge with the government of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), to develop all sectors of our country.

When I was growing up as a child in the streets of Monrovia, we used sports as a means to take a break from the vicious circle of poverty that we had to endure. We would all go out to play wherever there was a pitch, or even just a patch of land. Unfortunately, many of those places have now been either covered in grass and filth, or have been converted to private use.

Without these informal outlets for recreation, relaxation, and sports, our urban youth have today been constrained to look elsewhere for their amusement, and many of them have unfortunately been driven to form new and unwholesome habits, including the use of illicit drugs.

It is my hope that this project will begin to change that story.

This, and other similar projects that we have recently initiated, will provide a wholesome and healthy environment for our youths, as well as adults and older citizens, to interact with each other in well-maintained, safe, and professional premises. It is also expected to provide useful employment opportunities for deserving Liberians, while giving a much-needed facelift to our capital city, Monrovia and specifically the surrounding areas of PHP and BTC.

DISTINGUISHED LADIES AND GENTLEMEN:

Today marks another step forward in our drive to address the infrastructure deficit which our Administration inherited, and which our Government continues to face. All of this symbolizes the strong effort that is constantly being exerted to revive the wider economy. As a matter of fact, it is a further manifestation of our determination to push forward with the national development agenda, the Pro-Poor Agenda for Prosperity and Development, in spite of our limited resources.

We will continue on this path because my mission is to cooperate and work with our partners to fulfil my vision for this country.

You may be aware that even as we now embark on this project, the Invincible Park in Fish Market is nearing completion.

Meanwhile, there are hundreds of housing units going up around the country, as there are thousands of kilometers of roads and several bridges either completed, ongoing or being kick-started.

I can assure you that we will sustain this momentum and rebuild our country brick by brick, mortar by mortar, and kilometer by kilometer.

As I break ground here today, I want to admonish members of this area and the surrounding communities to take ownership of the project and work along with the contractors to protect it.
Let me again thank the Abu Dhabi Fund; the contractors, BMC Corporation, who won this project through an international bidding process; and the Project supervisors, AEP Consultants.
I would also like to make a special acknowledgment of the cooperation of the Minister of Defense and the Chief of Staff of the AFL in supporting this project and special thanks to Hon. Trokon Kpui, Minister of State Without Portfolio and Head of the Presidential Delivery Unit, for the leadership provided and all others whose efforts have brought us to this stage today.

Let us now continue to work with all deliberate speed to ensure that this project is completed in the stipulated time frame of 12 months, so that our people can begin to enjoy it to the fullest. If all goes well, I hope to return to dedicate the PHP UNITY SPORTS PARK on or before the National Flag Day (August 24th) of next year.

MY FELLOW CITIZENS:

You can clearly see our agenda unfolding bit by bit, community by community. Therefore, let us continue to maintain the peace because peace breeds development. Three years of peace has yielded three years of development. So as we continue to peacefully co-exist, we will continue to develop our country.

I thank you.