Monrovia-As the race for 2029 quietly begins to take shape across Liberia, Grand Kru County Senator Numene T. H. Bartekwa is making a bold statement not with political speeches, but with cement, zinc, and classrooms.
The Grand Kru lawmaker is currently reconstructing the Garraway-Weteken market, a project that is expected to bring immediate relief to hundreds of market women who have for years sold their goods under makeshift shelters and in the open sun.
The market project is just one piece of a wider development offensive the Senator has rolled out across the county in recent months. For the women of Garraway, the district that hosts one of Grand Kru’s busiest coastal trading hubs, the market is more than a building – it is their bank, their office, and their livelihood.
“This market was completely broken. When it rains, we cannot sell. Our goods spoil,” said one market woman at the construction site. “We are happy that our Senator remembered us.”
The new structure, according to workers on site, will include raised concrete platforms, lockable stalls, improved drainage and a roofed open area to protect traders from rain.
County officials say it will also improve hygiene and security for traders who come from as far as Trehn and Buah districts.
Sources in the Senator’s office say the Garraway-Weteken market reconstruction is part of a county-wide legislative development agenda that Bartekwa has personally funded and supervised.
In the last year alone, the Senator has undertaken renovation and construction of public schools in several districts, including the replacement of thatch-roof structures with permanent buildings, rehabilitation of town halls and marketplaces in Barclayville, Bleebo and Dweken. He is also said to be supporting youth and women groups with building materials and small business grants, and making intervention in the health sector through the provision of medical supplies and repair of clinic facilities.
While the Senator’s office has not released a total cost for the projects, legislative aides describe it as a “give-back to the people” initiative using a mix of legislative support funds and personal resources.
Politically, the timing is hard to ignore with President Joseph Boakai expected to be in his 80s by 2029 and the race for his succession already generating quiet alignments within the Unity Party, CPP, CDC and among independent power blocs, Senators who can show tangible development in their counties are positioning themselves as credible national figures.
Grand Kru, a vote-rich county in the Southeast that produced former President George Weah, remains a strategic battleground.
Delivering visible projects there, especially markets and schools that touch women and youth directly, is classic grassroots politics. Senator Bartekwa, a vocal lawmaker in the Senate and a close ally of the southeastern bloc, has not declared any presidential ambition. But residents say his approach is speaking for him.
“He is not talking plenty. He is doing the work,” said a youth leader in Barclayville. “If you want to be President, you start by fixing your own county. People will see you.”
The Garraway-Weteken market is expected to be completed and dedicated in the coming weeks, with market women already organizing a dedication ceremony to thank the Senator.
Whether it is genuine development, early 2029 positioning, or both – one thing is clear: in Grand Kru, Bartekwa is building more than markets. He is building a political base, brick by brick.
About The Author
