PAYNESVILLE, Liberia – The Renaissance Consulting and Development Institute, Inc. (ReCDI) on Saturday appealed for a US$7 million budgetary increase for the Paynesville City Corporation, warning that the city’s explosive population growth and inadequate waste infrastructure now pose serious environmental, health, and economic risks to its approximately 800,000 residents.
ReCDI Chief Executive Officer Amb. John M. Gray made the call during a community development training session at Apex University, where he simultaneously praised Mayor Robert Bestman and his administration for what he described as transformative innovations over the past two years.
Amb. Gray specifically credited the mayor’s team with decongesting traffic at the ELWA junction through the professional conduct of the City Police, expanding the corporation’s Administrative and Operational Annex to provide staff with more spacious and conducive working environments, refurbishing Paynesville City Hall to create a suitable civic ambiance, and delivering a transparent State of the City address that highlighted credibility, accountability, and inclusiveness.
Despite these achievements, Amb. Gray stressed that logistical constraints—particularly the lack of a proper transfer station and holding sites—now threaten to undermine the city’s progress. “We cannot keep pace with the waste,” Amb. Gray told the assembled community and organizational leaders. “Paynesville generates enormous refuse daily, yet we lack a designated landfill. The proposed 100-acre site in Cheesemanburg could serve as a primary disposal facility and drastically reduce the many issues arising from waste circulation, but we need national government support and a substantial budget injection to make it work.”
Amb. Gray noted that the city government, through its relevant departments, has continued to embark on routine waste collections at major market areas, drainages, and other densely populated public zones in order to keep those areas safe. He emphasized, however, that the accumulation of waste in communities, public spaces, and drainage systems poses mounting risks that require a coordinated response across three levels: robust national government support, effective implementation by the city government, and full compliance from households, businesses, health centers, and schools throughout Paynesville.
At the same time, Amb. Gray applauded the Honorable House of Representatives for establishing an Ad-Hoc Committee to investigate waste-related issues in Paynesville and Monrovia. He described that action as laudable and expressed hope that the committee’s findings would provide full details regarding the challenges and guide the national government toward concrete solutions through a budgetary increment. He appealed directly for that increment, explaining that at least seven million United States dollars would allow the Paynesville City Corporation to secure strategic logistical support and expand its partnerships with more Community-Based Enterprises and Small and Medium Enterprises to tackle waste collection on a larger scale.
Beyond government action, Amb. Gray urged residents to become ambassadors for clean communities and to actively support the city government’s efforts. He reminded participants that pollution does not discriminate and that community dwellers must keep their environments clean through various community-based initiatives. He also called on citizens to report those who dump waste illegally or give garbage to disadvantaged youth to discard in drains, recounting that if everyone remains alert and exposes such practices, the community can curtail these harmful acts that affect public wellbeing.
With Paynesville holding one of Liberia’s largest commercial hubs—the Redlight Market—and spanning five electoral districts, Amb. Gray emphasized that waste mismanagement already threatens public health, clogs waterways, and undermines economic activity. He concluded that the budgetary increment is not a luxury but an urgent necessity, and he reaffirmed ReCDI’s commitment to continuing its community service programs, training local leaders, and facilitating dialogue between citizens, city officials, and national policymakers. He called on the national government to answer that appeal, stressing that the future of Liberia’s largest municipality depends on decisive investment and collective action to keep Paynesville clean and green.
