Between 2009 and 2025 (according to information from Openaid), Sida has supported the Liberian Swedish Feeder Roads Project (LSFRP) in three phases. LSFRP is an infrastructure project that aims to build and repair rural roads connecting small roads to larger road networks with the goal of improving rural populations’ access to markets, public services and livelihood opportunities. Since the project began, approximately 1,000 km of roads have been built and repaired. The project has been considered a flagship project in Sweden’s development cooperation with Liberia.
In 2024, EBA launched a country evaluation that studied Sweden’s development cooperation in Liberia (2003-2020). The study indicates that the LSFRP has resulted in new construction standards, training for contractors and improved road quality. The roads constructed have contributed to increased access to markets and services, as documented in embassy reports, interviews and evaluations. Despite this, we know little about the socio-economic effects of the project. These appear to vary, depending on factors such as where the road is built.
This leaves a significant knowledge gap. Against this background, a geospatial impact evaluation is now being carried out with the aim of strengthening our knowledge of the economic and socio-economic effects of the road construction. The evaluation aims to answer the following questions:
• What are the long-term economic and socio-economic impacts of the LSFRP at the local level?
• What unintended positive and negative effects have resulted from the LSFRP?
The study will quantitatively examine the effects by combining detailed geocoded information about the road interventions with quasi-experimental methods to generate robust, counterfactual evidence about the project’s effects.
The study’s results are expected to contribute relevant knowledge about when, how and under what conditions investments in rural roads lead to inclusive growth. The results can inform future road and infrastructure initiatives, both in Liberia and in other aid contexts, and strengthen the evidence base for infrastructure investments in development cooperation.
Authors:
Ariel BenYishay, chief economist and director of research and evaluation, AidData
Rachel Sayers, research scientist, AidData
Pratap Khattri, data analyst, AidData
Reference group chair: Torbjörn Becker
Project manager at EBA: Ravneet Singh