Monrovia's clean-up gets a presidential push — with gloves, drains and young workers

In Liberia's capital, clean streets are also flood defences: blocked drains and wetlands turn heavy rain into inundated neighbourhoods. This week Monrovia and neighbouring Paynesville launched Phase One of the Presidential Clean Cities Initiative, with an orientation covering sanitation-worker safety, protective equipment and community engagement. Environmental Protection Agency head Dr Emmanuel King Urey Yarkpawolo urged the cities to keep the commitment going long after the launch — the programme pairs short-term youth employment with clearing drains, cleaning public spaces and protecting the wetlands that absorb the rain. It is unglamorous work, and in a flood-prone capital, few things matter more.

SDG 11 · Sustainable cities and communities — Mechanism: institutional program