Robert Johnson Plans Posh Resort in Liberia

Billionaire developer/financier Robert Johnson, on Monday will unveil his model showroom for RLJ Kendeja Resorts & Villas, an $8 million, 85-room, four-star resort on the Atlantic coast of northern Africa, near the capital of Liberia.

"There is no hotel in West Africa like this. This will be a Class-A beachfront property, with great views from the bar and restaurant out to the ocean. This really is going to be something." johnson told the Washington Post.

RLJ Kendeja Resorts & Villas is slated to open in March, with rates of $150 to $200 a night, Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf is expected to host the first guests.

Mr. Johnson said he started thinking about how he might help the country after hearing Johnson Sirleaf talk about its dire needs. That was two years ago, at an annual meeting of the Clinton Global Initiative, a project founded by former president Bill Clinton to bring together heads of state, top business executives, scholars and leaders of nongovernmental organizations to try to solve some of the world's pressing problems. At that meeting, Johnson pledged to mobilize a $30 million fund to help Liberia get back on its feet.

SOURCE: www.washingtonpost.com