Women Empowerment Forum Liberia, a local civil society advocacy group, has commenced a series of public awareness and sensitization initiatives on ArcelorMittal Liberia’s phase–ii expansion project in five communities in Nimba County.
The communities, Ganta, Sanniquellie, Karnplay, Yekepa and Gbapa, will for the next one month participate in community town hall meetings for explanation on the benefits of ArcelorMittal’s phase-II expansion.
The public awareness drive, according to WEFL, seeks to supply community dwellers, especially those directly affected by the company’s mining activities, with the much-needed information about the obligation of the concession to its host communities and people of Nimba and Liberia at large.
At a news conference in Ganta over the weekend, Laura Bee Kiekpo, the Executive Director of Women Empowerment Forum Liberia, said their awareness targets opinion leaders, civil society organizations (CSOs) and ordinary citizens within the three affected communities.
“This one-month activity demonstrates our firm commitment to ensuring that we, as civil society actors, play a role that is key for harmony between the communities and ArcelorMittal,” she said.
WEFL, according to her, is conducting the town hall meetings, dialogues and radio talk shows to strengthen information-sharing and to gauge the perspectives of residents on what is best for an enhanced community-company relationship.
Lura said she believes that civil society organizations should play multiple roles in community engagement and make themselves available as important sources of information for both citizens and government. “We have a duty to monitor government policies and actions and hold government accountable; however, we must apply same to companies and supply needed information to communities through advocacy and offer alternative policies for government, the private sector and other institutions.”
The Executive Director said WEFL’s awareness would target women, men and youth groups, the student community, businesses, community-based organizations and all local stakeholders within the affected communities in Nimba County.
Laura Bee Kiekpo said, “We have accepted to do this, given the fact that as a grassroots organization we consider it ideal to ensure that our communities’ dwellers are informed and sensitized about development in their communities and county.
“WEFL believes that if information is accessed from an informed background it can provide the kind of opportunity that brings positive change to communities and households. An informed person is a transformed and developed citizen,” she added.
Women Empowerment Forum Liberia is a local women/girls-led not-for-profit organization that focuses on the (formal/informal) increase of education, rights, women’s health, advocacy, protection, prevention, dignity, skills and socio/social economic empowerment of women/girls in the rural and urban communities.
ArcelorMittal Liberia in mid 2022 commenced its phase-two expansion project, with the aim of producing 30 million tons of iron ore per year.
The company’s phase-II expansion project will witness the construction of a mega ore concentration plant to upgrade its ore quality to higher value.
It also promises the provision of new jobs for Liberians, increase government taxes, royalties and revenue, and as well give direct support to communities in Grand Bassa, Bong and Nimba counties through the social development funds.
Since its entry into Liberia’s mining industry in August 2005, AML has positioned itself as the country’s foremost postwar investment, making the largest social development contribution to host communities annually.
ALM has repeatedly been recognized as the government’s biggest taxpayer while at the same time making enormous contribution to education, health, and infrastructure development in Grand Bassa, Bong and Nimba counties.
Meanwhile, The Executive Director of Women Empowerment Forum Liberia (WEFL), Laura Bee Kiekpo, extended condolences to the people of Nimba County’s electoral district #8, where at least eight persons lost their lives when a canoe capsized in the Yar River, Zahn Boyee, Nimba County.