In just a few minutes of being with him, you would have noticed how his passion and energy radiate the workspace and how busy he is during the workday. From when he arrives at the mines each morning to the close of the workday, Jallah Selmah, ArcelorMittal Liberia’s Assistant Mine Manager’s daily life is a sneak peak into the world of a passionate mining engineer.
The most senior Liberian mining professional at ArcelorMittal Liberia, Selmah is the principal deputy to the mine manager and provides critical support for the operational and administrative management of various mining sites at mounts Gangra and Yuelliton in Nimba County. Daily, he focuses on ensuring the smooth and efficient operation of the mine while adhering to safety, regulatory, environmental, and production requirements.
Selmah’s ArcelorMittal Liberia journey dates to the early days of the company’s presence in Liberia with the rehabilitation of the Yekepa-Buchanan railway by the ArcelorMittal-hired contractor, Odebrecht Construction International, where he served as Superintendent for Road Bridges and Culverts.
“My role was to support the team with the earthwork and road rehabilitation so that rail materials could be safely transported,” Selmah disclosed.
Assistant Mine Manager Selmah was instrumental in the successful rehabilitation of the railway, and once the project was completed he and others were recruited by ArcelorMittal Liberia.
“Since joining ArcelorMittal Liberia in 2009 it has been incredible. I can’t image that I would have been where I am today. The experience has been all about learning and developing myself. I am proud to be a part of such a great project,” he said.
Selmah’s solid construction engineering background and exceptional performance paved the way for his transition into mining but, as he describes it, the learning curve was not all that smooth.
“Moving into mining was a very big challenge, but I was determined and wanted to explore a new field. I started from the lowest level. I started from rom pad, the loadout area, later moved to pit and even served as tallyclerk and control room operator. I have gone through the different levels.”
Selma’s determination paid off when he was recognized as “Employee of the Year 2011” and was subsequently promoted to Mine Infrastructure Superintendent, responsible for the development of new mines.
“I had little knowledge about mine infrastructure, but thanks to the mentorship of my bosses and the opportunities provided by ArcelorMittal Liberia I was able to learn about the role, and performed exceptionally.”
His upward career progression and professional development continued, and Selmah was sent to ArcelorMittal’s headquarters in Luxembourg, where he begun a long-term leadership development program.
In 2014, Selmah was promoted to the position of Assistant Mine Manager, and at one point he even served as Acting Mine Manager and led his team to achieving the annual production target.
Identified as a “high potential” employee, ArcelorMittal Liberia in 2021 offered Selmah a fully funded international scholarship to study mining engineering at University of Mines and Technology in Ghana, and he’s now at the verge of completing his studies.
The passionate construction and mining professional is confident that the ArcelorMittal Liberia investment in him and other Liberians is strategically positioning them to lead the mining industry, especially with the on-going Phase II Expansion Project.
“As a Liberian, I am proud that AML has invested this much in me. I am excited about the future of this company and the expansion project. If this project is completed and we start to produce our fifteen million tonnes per annum (15mpta), we will be the second biggest mine in Africa. I believe we can push this to become the biggest mine in Africa when we hit 30mpta. This is a very big opportunity for West Africa, for Africa, for Liberia, for Nimba, Bong, Grand Bassa and for everyone,” he explained.
Selmah encouraged Liberians, especially those working for ArcelorMittal Liberia, to support the project and make use of the various opportunities being provided by the company to advance themselves.
“It is only important that we give our full support. After the completion of this project, it’s going to be massive. I want to be grateful to ArcelorMittal, to Mr. Mittal and his entire leadership, and to assure that we are all pushing this project to come to life.”