MONROVIA – Montserrado County District #2 Representative, Sekou Sarafoday Kanneh, has expressed optimism that Liberia’s historic US$1.2 Billion National Budget for 2026 will help address longstanding infrastructure and development challenges in his district, including poor road conditions and inadequate educational facilities.
By J.H. Webster Clayeh -websterclayeh@frontpageafricaonline.com
Presenting his Annual Legislative Report, Rep. Kanneh said that as Chairman of the House Committee on Executive, he worked alongside fellow lawmakers to secure the passage of what he described as an unprecedented national budget.
According to him, the US$1.2 billion budget represents the largest fiscal package approved since Liberia’s founding and is intended to respond to critical national and local development priorities.
“This massive growth of our national budget intends to address pressing issues that our nation is faced with, which District 2 is of no exception,” Rep. Kanneh said.
The lawmaker noted that residents of District 2 continue to face challenges ranging from poor road connectivity to a shortage of public schools. However, he said the approved budget provides hope for addressing those concerns.
“Considering the challenges faced by our district such as lock of road connectivity, public school insufficiency, we remain optimistic that this budget will help in addressing these issues. For instance, the pavement of the Lonestar-Nicklay Town-Wein Town Road and the completion of the proposed Jacob Town Public School hugely depend on this financial instrument which we’ve passed,” he stated.
Rep. Kanneh also used the occasion to reaffirm his commitment to transparency, accountability, and citizen engagement while highlighting achievements and challenges encountered during the 2025 legislative year.
“It remains an honorable privilege to serve you and to represent your interests at our nation’s first branch of government,” Rep. Kanneh pointed out.
He explained that the annual report was prepared as part of his obligation to account for his stewardship during 2025 and reflects his commitment to maintaining close engagement with constituents.
The report outlines his activities in lawmaking, representation, legislative oversight, constituency engagement, and social responsibility initiatives undertaken throughout District 2.
According to Rep. Kanneh, the Legislature’s work during 2025 was guided by the needs of communities, including infrastructure development, education, healthcare, economic empowerment and efforts to establish a platform for the speedy adjudication of cases in the district.
“Over the past year, our work in the Legislature has been guided by the pressing needs and aspirations of our communities,” he asserted, stressing that despite ongoing challenges, he and his colleagues remained committed to working with government institutions and community stakeholders to identify practical and sustainable solutions.
While acknowledging that challenges remain, the District #2 lawmaker emphasized that progress has been achieved through collaboration and continuous engagement with residents and development partners.
He described the report as “not a declaration of perfection,” but rather an honest assessment of accomplishments, lessons learned, and priorities for the future.
Rep. Kanneh further stressed that effective representation depends on constructive feedback and active citizen participation.
“We therefore welcome your views, suggestions, and continued partnership as we work together to advance the development and wellbeing of District #2, Montserrado County,” he said.
The annual report forms part of his efforts to keep constituents informed about his legislative performance and development initiatives undertaken on their behalf during the year under review.
Providing an overview of his legislative work, Rep. Kanneh noted that Liberia operates a bicameral legislature comprising the House of Representatives and the Senate, with lawmakers carrying out three core functions: lawmaking, representation and oversight.
He pledged to continue executing those responsibilities in the best interest of his constituents.
“Throughout the 2nd session of the 55th Legislature, we made it our everyday business to work with colleagues to fully implement our responsibilities; we fought and continue to fight on the floor in ensuring that our bills for the district are passed, our interests are prioritized and our district is develop,” he said.
Rep. Kanneh emphasized that lawmaking, as the first cardinal responsibility of legislators, plays a crucial role in democratic governance.
“The execution of said responsibility will reflect the collective will, needs, and values of the people, giving legitimacy to governance,” he added.
Highlighting a key legislative achievement, Kanneh disclosed that he successfully lobbied colleagues to pass one of his district’s proposed bills during the second session of the 55th Legislature.
“Considering the importance of the aforementioned, we, as your representative during the period under review (2025) lobbied with our colleagues and successfully passed one of our bills submitted during the first session of the 55th Legislature on July 16, 2025.”
He identified the legislation as “An ACT to create the Monrovia Vocational and Technical College to an Associate Degree granting institution for the formal sector while the informal sector shall be granted an advance certificate.”
According to Rep. Kanneh, the bill is currently before the Liberian Senate for concurrence before being forwarded to President Joseph Boakai for approval.
